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Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an
imbalance of naturally occurring vaginal micro-organisms caused by a decrease
in normal helpful bacteria and an increase in harmful bacteria. BV increases
women’s risks of acquiring HIV and other STDs as well as experiencing pre-term
delivery. Also, HIV-infected women with BV might have higher levels and greater
shedding of HIV from the cervix and vagina.
Craig R. Cohen, MD, MPH, professor
of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of
California, San Francisco, and colleagues investigated the association between
BV and HIV transmission in a study of 2,236 HIV-infected women from seven
African countries and their uninfected male partners. The researchers
controlled for sociodemographic factors, sexual behavior, male circumcision,
sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, and level of HIV in the blood of
the HIV-infected women.
Results showed that risk of
female-to-male HIV transmission was three times higher for HIV-infected women
with BV than for HIV-infected women without BV. Researchers could not account
for the result. The researchers acknowledged the need for more research to
improve BV diagnosis, and treatment to improve women’s health and decrease HIV
transmission, especially in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, which has both
the world’s highest HIV burden and a high BV incidence.
The full report, “Bacterial
Vaginosis Associated with Increased Risk of Female-to-Male HIV-1 Transmission:
A Prospective Cohort Analysis among African Couples,” was published in the
journal PLoS Medicine (2012; 9(6): e1001251. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001251).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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