Rectal microbiome composition correlates with humoral immunity to HIV-1 in vaccinated rhesus macaques.

The microbiome is an integral and dynamic component of the host and is emerging as a critical determinant of immune responses; however, its influence on vaccine immunogenicity is largely not well understood. Here, we examined the pivotal relationship between the mucosal microbiome and vaccine-induced immune responses by assessing longitudinal changes in vaginal and rectal microbiome profiles following intradermal immunization with an HIV-1 DNA vaccine in adult rhesus macaques that received two prior DNA primes.