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BMC Infectious Diseases
Published in: BMC Infectious Diseases 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

The significance of Lactobacillus crispatus and L. vaginalis for vaginal health and the negative effect of recent sex: a cross-sectional descriptive study across groups of African women

Authors: Vicky Jespers, Janneke van de Wijgert, Piet Cools, Rita Verhelst, Hans Verstraelen, Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Mary Mwaura, Gilles F Ndayisaba, Kishor Mandaliya, Joris Menten, Liselotte Hardy, Tania Crucitti, for the Vaginal Biomarkers Study Group

Published in: BMC Infectious Diseases | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

Women in sub-Saharan Africa are vulnerable to acquiring HIV infection and reproductive tract infections. Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a disruption of the vaginal microbiota, has been shown to be strongly associated with HIV infection. Risk factors related to potentially protective or harmful microbiota species are not known.

Methods

We present cross-sectional quantitative polymerase chain reaction data of the Lactobacillus genus, five Lactobacillus species, and three BV-related bacteria (Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, and Prevotella bivia) together with Escherichia coli and Candida albicans in 426 African women across different groups at risk for HIV. We selected a reference group of adult HIV-negative women at average risk for HIV acquisition and compared species variations in subgroups of adolescents, HIV-negative pregnant women, women engaging in traditional vaginal practices, sex workers and a group of HIV-positive women on combination antiretroviral therapy. We explored the associations between presence and quantity of the bacteria with BV by Nugent score, in relation to several factors of known or theoretical importance.

Results

The presence of species across Kenyan, South African and Rwandan women was remarkably similar and few differences were seen between the two groups of reference women in Kenya and South Africa. The Rwandan sex workers and HIV-positive women had the highest G. vaginalis presence (p = 0.006). Pregnant women had a higher Lactobacillus genus mean log (7.01 genome equivalents (geq)/ml) compared to the reference women (6.08 geq/ml). L. vaginalis (43%) was second to L. iners (81.9%) highly present in women with a normal Nugent score. Recent sexual exposure negatively affected the presence of L. crispatus (<0.001), L. vaginalis (p = 0.001), and Lactobacillus genus (p < 0.001). Having more than one sexual partner in the last three months was associated with an increased prevalence of G. vaginalis (p = 0.044) and L. iners (p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Although the composition of species across the studied African countries was similar, the presence of protective species i.e. L. crispatus and L. vaginalis in women with a normal Nugent score appeared lower compared to non-African studies. Furthermore, Lactobacillus species were negatively affected by sexual behavioural. Strategies to support protective Lactobacillus species are urgently needed.

Trial registration

The study is registered at the Trial Registration at the National Health Research Ethics Council South Africa with the number DOH2709103223.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
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Metadata
Title
The significance of Lactobacillus crispatus and L. vaginalis for vaginal health and the negative effect of recent sex: a cross-sectional descriptive study across groups of African women
Authors
Vicky Jespers
Janneke van de Wijgert
Piet Cools
Rita Verhelst
Hans Verstraelen
Sinead Delany-Moretlwe
Mary Mwaura
Gilles F Ndayisaba
Kishor Mandaliya
Joris Menten
Liselotte Hardy
Tania Crucitti
for the Vaginal Biomarkers Study Group
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Infectious Diseases / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2334
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-015-0825-z

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