Apalata Teke, Nojaholo Sandisiwe, Seipone Ikanyeng D, Nxasana Ntombizodumo
Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha 5100, South Africa.
National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS), Mthatha 5100, South Africa.
Int J Microbiol. 2021 Jul 21;2021:9913878. doi: 10.1155/2021/9913878. eCollection 2021.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is extremely common among the African population and is associated with the transmission and acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of BV among HIV-infected and -uninfected women in rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2017 and March 2018 on women aged 18 years and above ( = 100), attending Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital and Ngangelizwe Community Health Centre with signs and symptoms suggestive of vaginal infection. High vaginal swabs were collected, and BV was diagnosed using Nugent's score. The prevalence rate of BV was 70% irrespective of HIV status. Of the 61 HIV-infected patients, 49 (80.3%) and 12 (19.7%) were BV positive and BV negative, respectively; whilst of the 39 HIV-uninfected women, 21 (53.8%) and 18 (46.2%) were BV positive and BV negative, respectively (OR = 3.5; CI: 1.4-8.5; =0.005). Women aged above 35 years were highly likely to develop BV (=0.049). The presence of species (>25 per high microscopic field) was significantly associated with BV among HIV-infected patients (=0.030). A recent history of antibiotic use (≤3 months) was significantly associated with BV among HIV-negative patients (=0.044). This study shows that BV is more prevalent among HIV-positive women than their HIV-negative counterparts, and its occurrence is higher among those aged above 35 years. The predominance of species in the vagina microbiota of HIV-infected women might play a significant role in the development of BV. These findings suggest that the treatment of BV could restore normal flora and reduce susceptibility to and transmission of HIV.
细菌性阴道病（BV）在非洲人群中极为常见，且与人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）感染的传播和获得有关。本研究的目的是确定南非东开普省农村地区感染和未感染HIV的女性中BV的患病率及特征。2017年9月至2018年3月，对年龄在18岁及以上（n = 100）、前往纳尔逊·曼德拉学术医院和恩甘格利兹韦社区卫生中心就诊且有阴道感染症状体征的女性进行了一项描述性横断面研究。采集了高阴道拭子，并使用纽金特评分法诊断BV。无论HIV感染状况如何，BV的患病率均为70%。在61例HIV感染患者中，49例（80.3%）BV阳性，12例（19.7%）BV阴性；而在39例未感染HIV的女性中，21例（53.8%）BV阳性，18例（46.2%）BV阴性（比值比=3.5；置信区间：1.4 - 8.5；P = 0.005）。35岁以上的女性患BV的可能性很大（P = 0.049）。在HIV感染患者中，某菌种（每高倍视野>25个）的存在与BV显著相关（P = 0.030）。近期（≤3个月）使用抗生素的病史在HIV阴性患者中与BV显著相关（P = 0.044）。本研究表明，BV在HIV阳性女性中比HIV阴性女性更为普遍，且在35岁以上人群中的发生率更高。HIV感染女性阴道微生物群中某菌种的优势可能在BV的发生中起重要作用。这些发现表明，BV的治疗可恢复正常菌群，降低对HIV的易感性及HIV的传播。
