Figure 8.

Correlation between L. crispatus and L. iners between preterm (PTB) and term birth (TB) samples using Spearman’s rank correlation test

The correlation plot between L. crispatus and L. iners in (A) PTB group and in (B) TB group. The relative abundances of both species were used for calculation of correlation coefficient value. The correlation coefficient and p value are mentioned in both the plots. The x axis of the plots denoted the relative abundance (%) of L. iners and y axis denoted the relative abundance (%) of L. crispatus. L. crispatus and L. iners were found to be negatively correlated with each other throughout the pregnancy in both the TB and PTB groups (PTB: R² = −0.48, p value = 0.00027; TB: R² = −0.52, p value = 6.8 × 10⁻⁹).