Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
J Appl Microbiol. 2011 May;110(5):1105-28. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2011.04977.x. Epub 2011 Mar 14.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection among women of childbearing age. This condition is notorious for causing severe complications related to the reproductive health of women. Five decades of intense research established many risk factors for acquisition of BV; however, because of the complexity of BV and lack of a reliable animal model for this condition, its exact aetiology remains elusive. In this manuscript, we use a historical perspective to critically review the development of major theories on the aetiology of BV, ultimately implicating BV-related pathogens, healthy vaginal microbiota, bacteriophages and the immune response of the host. None of these theories on their own can reliably explain the epidemiological data. Instead, BV is caused by a complex interaction of multiple factors, which include the numerous components of the vaginal microbial ecosystem and their human host. Many of these factors are yet to be characterized because a clear understanding of their relative contribution to the aetiology of BV is pivotal to the formulation of an effective treatment for and prophylaxis of this condition.
细菌性阴道病（BV）是育龄妇女中最常见的阴道感染。这种疾病臭名昭著，会导致与女性生殖健康相关的严重并发症。五十年来，大量的研究确定了许多获得细菌性阴道病的风险因素；然而，由于细菌性阴道病的复杂性以及缺乏可靠的该疾病动物模型，其确切病因仍难以捉摸。在本文中，我们使用历史视角批判性地回顾了关于细菌性阴道病病因的主要理论的发展，最终涉及与细菌性阴道病相关的病原体、健康的阴道微生物群、噬菌体和宿主的免疫反应。这些理论本身都不能可靠地解释流行病学数据。相反，细菌性阴道病是由多种因素的复杂相互作用引起的，其中包括阴道微生物生态系统的众多组成部分及其人类宿主。由于对这些因素相对贡献的明确理解对于制定有效的治疗和预防该疾病的方法至关重要，因此其中许多因素仍有待描述。
