Can one size fit all? Approach to bacterial vaginosis in sub-Saharan Africa

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal disorder affecting women of reproductive age and is associated with increased risk of sexually transmitted infections such as human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV-1). Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest BV and HIV-1 burden and yet very few studies have focused on understanding the aetiology of BV and its association with HIV in this region. It has been suggested that we need to accurately diagnose and treat BV to lower the risk of HIV infection globally. However, effective diagnosis requires knowledge of what constitutes a “healthy” cervicovaginal microbiome and current studies indicate that Lactobacillus crispatus might not be the only commensal protective against BV: healthy women from different countries and ethnicities harbour alternative commensals. Microbiotas associated with BV have also shown global variation, further complicating effective diagnosis via culture-based assays as some species are difficult to grow. Antibiotics and probiotics have been suggested to be key in controlling BV infection, but the efficacy of this treatment might rely on reconstituting endogenous commensals while targeting a specific species of BV-associated bacteria (BVAB). Alternatively, therapy could inhibit essential BV bacterial growth factors e.g. sialidases or provide anti-microbial compounds e.g. lactic acid associated with a healthy cervicovaginal microbiome. But without global investigation into the mechanism of BV pathogenesis and its association with HIV, selection of such compounds could be limited to Caucasian women from certain regions. To confirm this suggestion and guide future therapy we require standardised diagnostic assays and research methodologies. This review will focus on research papers that describe the global variation of BV aetiology and how this influences the identification of determinants of BV pathogenesis and potential probiotic and antimicrobial therapy.