This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Study adds evidence of sexual exchange of G. vaginalis among women
Findings from a cohort study conducted in Australia indicated that Gardnerella vaginalis transmission occurs via sexual activity among women who have sex with women, or WSW, suggesting that treating partners may be a useful strategy to improve cure of bacterial vaginosis, researchers said. Moreover, they found that the level of pathogenicity of G. vaginalis clades varied.
The most common vaginal condition among reproductive aged women is bacterial vaginosis (BV), but treatment is “sub-optimal,” according to the study. The researchers cited previous research, which hypothesized that G. vaginalis plays a “key role” in the pathogenesis of BV and may even be the founder organism.
“G. vaginalis is almost always present in the vagina of women who have BV and it possesses characteristics important for pathogenesis, including production of sialidase, an enzyme that degrades cervicovaginal mucus, and vaginolysin, a cytolysin that induces vaginal epithelial cell lysis,” the researchers wrote. “Both factors may assist G. vaginalis adherence to host epithelial cells and form biofilms.
The aim of the study was to determine if pathogenic and commensal G. vaginalis clades exist, and to understand the association between G. vaginalis clade distribution among WSW and behavioral practices and Nugent Score. The study included 101 nonpregnant premenopausal women who reported a female sexual partner in the 18 months prior to study enrollment and had a Nugent Score of less than seven on three consecutive vaginal smears.
“Defining the role of G. vaginalis clades in BV pathogenesis and understanding how they are acquired may lead to the development of more effective treatment strategies,” the researchers wrote.
Using established G. vaginalis species-specific and clade-typing PCR assays, the researchers performed an analysis of 372 longitudinal self-collected vaginal specimens.
Nugent-BV was associated with clades 1, 2 and 3, as well as with multi-clade communities — defined as more than two clades. Lactobacillus-deficient vaginal microbiota was associated with both clade 1 (OR = 3.36; 95% CI, 1.65-6.84) and multi-clade communities (relative-risk-ratio [RRR] = 9.51; 95% CI, 4.36-20.73). Moreover, clade 4 was not associated with Nugent-BV or Lactobacillus-deficient microbiota (OR = 1.49; 95% CI, 0.67-3.33).
The researchers noted that differing behavioral practices were associated with specific clades. For instance, clade 1 was associated with smoking and an increasing number of recent sexual partners, while clade 2 was associated with female partners sharing sex toys and penile-vaginal sex.
“These data have implications for BV treatment and suggest that partner treatment may be an effective strategy to improve BV cure,” the researchers wrote. – by Marley Ghizzone
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.