Another limitation of this study is the small sample size and limited statistical power. Furthermore, the two groups of women differed in aspects such as contraception, the number of follow up visits and time points in the cycle that were sampled. Finally, our definition of bacterial vaginosis was based on the

Nugent score, and although this scoring system is considered to be the gold standard for research, we recognize it is not perfect. Conclusion We have shown that qPCR can be used to quantify and describe the bacterial species associated with the non-BV vaginal microbiome. We have also shown that risk status and ethnicity can also impact upon the number and type of organisms present and therefore also need to be taken into account. The analysis of seven indicator AZD5363 ic50 organisms by qPCR is a feasible approach for the assessment of the vaginal microbiome and could be used for analyzing the composition of the microbiome during the safety assessments of vaginal products. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the GSK458 mouse European Commission [European Microbicides Project 503558, EUROPRISE and CHAARM 242135] and by the Foundation

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