Impact of Medical and Traditional Circumcision on Penile Microbiome of Condyloma Acuminata Patients: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections rank among the primary contributors to health, social, and economic challenges in numerous nations. Circumcision is believed to change the microbial flora of the penis. In Indonesia, decisions regarding circumcision are predominantly driven by religious beliefs.Methods: This pilot study aimed to examine and compare the penile microbiome profiles of men with condyloma acuminata (CA) who had undergone either medical circumcision (MCCA) or traditional circumcision (TCCA), alongside healthy controls who had undergone medical circumcision (NMC) or traditional circumcision (NTC). The study involved two participants per group (MCCA, TCCA, NMC, NTC). Microbiome analyses were conducted using species annotation, as well as assessments of alpha and beta diversity.Results: Findings from this exploratory study revealed that the predominant bacterial genera across groups were Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Ralstonia, and Finegoldia. In the MCCA, TCCA, and NTC groups, Corynebacterium was the dominant genus, whereas the NMC group was predominantly colonized by Ralstonia. These preliminary results suggest that circumcision type may influence the penile microbiota composition; notably, the microbiomes of traditionally circumcised individuals (NTC) showed similarities to those of patients with condyloma acuminata who underwent either medical or traditional circumcision.Conclusion: These findings tentatively support the view that medical circumcision may offer greater microbiome stability compared to traditional circumcision; however, it may does not appear to reduce the risk of HPV infection or the development of condyloma acuminata. Larger-scale studies are warranted to validate these preliminary observations and elucidate their clinical significance.

کلیدواژه ها:

Penile Microbiome ، Condyloma Acuminata ، Medical Circumcision ، Traditional Circumcision