Overview
Flavobacterium is a genus of Gram-negative, aerobic bacteria within the phylum Bacteroidetes. Primarily environmental organisms found in soil and freshwater, Flavobacterium species have been identified in human microbiome studies of the cervical and reproductive tract, where their presence is considered atypical and potentially indicative of microbial community disruption.
Endometriosis Associations
In endometriosis, Flavobacterium has been detected in cervical mucus microbial communities, representing a departure from the Lactobacillus-dominated healthy cervical microbiome (akiyama 2019 cervical mucus microbial colonization endometriosis). Its presence may reflect compromised mucosal barriers or altered cervical immune defenses that permit environmental organisms to colonize the reproductive tract (ser 2023 current updates microbiome endometriosis review).
Cross-References
- endometriosis — cervical microbiome associations
- lactobacillus — healthy cervical microbiome reference
- bacteroidetes — parent phylum
- cervical microbiome — reproductive tract niche