Bye-bye vaginal infection, hello vaginal flora!

The human body is home to an estimated 100 trillion microbial cells and a quadrillion viruses, which are collectively known as the human microbiota. Recently, the human microbiota has gained the attention of the scientific fraternity for its roles in health and diseases, with some quarters referring to it as the 'forgotten organ'. Imbalances in the usual composition of commensal or symbiotic species in a localized area of the body is known as microbial shift or dysbiosis, and this condition may result in infections caused by opportunistic pathogens, thereby impacting the natural defence mechanism of the human body.