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Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?

The vaginal microbiome is a well-defined compartment of the human microbiome. It has unique conditions, characterized by the dominance of one bacterial species, the Lactobacilli. This microbiota manifests itself by a low degree of diversity and by a strong dynamic of change in its composition under...

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Autores principales: Abou Chacra, Linda, Fenollar, Florence, Diop, Khoudia
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8805710/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35118003
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.672429
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author Abou Chacra, Linda
Fenollar, Florence
Diop, Khoudia
author_facet Abou Chacra, Linda
Fenollar, Florence
Diop, Khoudia
author_sort Abou Chacra, Linda
collection PubMed
description The vaginal microbiome is a well-defined compartment of the human microbiome. It has unique conditions, characterized by the dominance of one bacterial species, the Lactobacilli. This microbiota manifests itself by a low degree of diversity and by a strong dynamic of change in its composition under the influence of various exogenous and endogenous factors. The increase in diversity may paradoxically be associated with dysbiosis, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV). BV is the result of a disturbance in the vaginal ecosystem; i.e., a sudden replacement of Lactobacilli by anaerobic bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and others. It is the most common cause of vaginal discharge in women of childbearing age, approximately 30% of all causes. The etiology of this dysbiosis remains unknown, but its health consequences are significant, including obstetrical complications, increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and urogenital infections. Its diagnosis is based on Amsel’s clinical criteria and/or a gram stain based on the Nugent score. While both of these methods have been widely applied worldwide for approximately three decades, Nugent score are still considered the “gold standard” of BV diagnostic tools. Given the limitations of these tools, methods based on molecular biology have been developed as alternative rational strategies for the diagnosis of BV. The treatment of BV aims at restoring the balance of the vaginal flora to stop the proliferation of harmful microorganisms. Prescription of antibiotics such as metronidazole, clindamycin, etc. is recommended. Faced with the considerable uncertainty about the cause of BV, the high rate of recurrence, the unacceptable treatment options, and clinical management which is often insensitive and inconsistent, research on this topic is intensifying. Knowledge of its composition and its associated variations represents the key element in improving the therapeutic management of patients with the most suitable treatments possible.
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spelling pubmed-88057102022-02-02 Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know? Abou Chacra, Linda Fenollar, Florence Diop, Khoudia Front Cell Infect Microbiol Cellular and Infection Microbiology The vaginal microbiome is a well-defined compartment of the human microbiome. It has unique conditions, characterized by the dominance of one bacterial species, the Lactobacilli. This microbiota manifests itself by a low degree of diversity and by a strong dynamic of change in its composition under the influence of various exogenous and endogenous factors. The increase in diversity may paradoxically be associated with dysbiosis, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV). BV is the result of a disturbance in the vaginal ecosystem; i.e., a sudden replacement of Lactobacilli by anaerobic bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and others. It is the most common cause of vaginal discharge in women of childbearing age, approximately 30% of all causes. The etiology of this dysbiosis remains unknown, but its health consequences are significant, including obstetrical complications, increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and urogenital infections. Its diagnosis is based on Amsel’s clinical criteria and/or a gram stain based on the Nugent score. While both of these methods have been widely applied worldwide for approximately three decades, Nugent score are still considered the “gold standard” of BV diagnostic tools. Given the limitations of these tools, methods based on molecular biology have been developed as alternative rational strategies for the diagnosis of BV. The treatment of BV aims at restoring the balance of the vaginal flora to stop the proliferation of harmful microorganisms. Prescription of antibiotics such as metronidazole, clindamycin, etc. is recommended. Faced with the considerable uncertainty about the cause of BV, the high rate of recurrence, the unacceptable treatment options, and clinical management which is often insensitive and inconsistent, research on this topic is intensifying. Knowledge of its composition and its associated variations represents the key element in improving the therapeutic management of patients with the most suitable treatments possible. Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-01-18 /pmc/articles/PMC8805710/ /pubmed/35118003 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.672429 Text en Copyright © 2022 Abou Chacra, Fenollar and Diop https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Cellular and Infection Microbiology
Abou Chacra, Linda
Fenollar, Florence
Diop, Khoudia
Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?
title Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?
title_full Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?
title_fullStr Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?
title_full_unstemmed Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?
title_short Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?
title_sort bacterial vaginosis: what do we currently know?
topic Cellular and Infection Microbiology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8805710/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35118003
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.672429
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