Characterization of the microbiota in patients with pelvic endometriosis

• Grant number: 13/16486-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Maurício Simões Abrão
• Grantee: Carlo de Oliveira Martins
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. It can be present in the pelvis, ovaries, peritoneum, intestine, urether, or gall bladder. It is a common ginecologic disease, occuring in 10-15% of reproductive age women. The main manifestations include pelvic pain and infertility. The etiopathologic mechanism of endometriosis is still unkown. Extensive investigation has explored the involvement of genetics, environmental factors and immune system in women predisposition to develop endometriosis. Studies suggest a correlation between endometriosis and autoimmune diseases, as Hashimoto thyreoiditis, systemic erythematosus lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Human microbiota, mainly intestinal, has shown crucial importance in autoimmune diseases pathogenesis, such as type-I diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Nowadays, no study in the cientific literature has evaluated the influenceof microbiome in the context of endometriosis. The objective of this study is to evaluate microbiome in women with pelvic endometriosis, and to compare it to women without disease in the following biological samples: rectal swab, tongue swab, and vaginal swab. The technique used for microbiome characterization will be bacterial DNA analysis by pirossequecing. For women with endometriosis, the microbiome will be correlated to clinical symptoms, staging, site of lesion, severity of disease, and menstrual cycle phase.