Penile microbiota linked to bacterial vaginosis among females: Study
Researchers have found in a new study that penile microbiome can be used to predict with high accuracy Bacterial Vaginosis incidence in their female partner. The new research has been published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is an infection affecting more than 20% of women worldwide. Caused by a change in the natural balance of the vaginal microbiota, this infection can lead to adverse outcomes in pregnancy as well as more susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, herpes simplex virus, chlamydia, or gonorrhea. While previous studies strongly suggest that partners' reproductive microbiomes might be exchanged in BV, a question remained: is the penile microbiota at the origin of BV onset in women?
To address this question researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, here compare the microbiota of couples before and after the occurrence of BV. The results show that men's microbiota has a role in BV onset and that BV-related bacteria present in men's penile microbiome can be used to predict with high accuracy BV incidence in their female partner.
The stakes of the study could be high for women infected by BV. "Antibiotic treatment of BV has limited long-term success, with up to 50% of women having recurrence within 6 months, so we need more effective approaches to treatment. Male sex partner treatment may be a new strategy" says Dr Supriya D. Mehta, an epidemiologist at University of Illinois at Chicago, first author of the study.
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