Bacterium identified that may be associated with cervicitis

Cervicitis is an inflammation of the uterine cervix of women. This condition is known to be associated with many different infections, such as Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae, however the true cause of the inflammation is still unclear. Researchers in Seattle, Washington performed a study, recently published by the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, to determine whether it is an imbalance of the vaginal and/or cervical microbiome that is at the root of the problem. The study’s aim was to look at the associations of bacteria with cervicitis in two different groups of women, to see if the results of each group agree.

At a clinic in Seattle, vaginal and cervical samples were collected from a group of predominantly young white women that agreed to the study. Of the 210 women from the clinic, only 14 were identified as having cervicitis based on certain identification criteria. A parallel control study was performed in Mombasa, Kenya with the hopes that the gathered information would either refute or confirm the results of the Seattle group. The Seattle results showed that women with cervicitis were more likely to have Mageeibacillus indolicus in the cervix and vagina than women without the condition. The bacteria Lactobacillus jensenii was the only species that was more present in women without than with cervicitis.

The Kenyan study did not show that M. indolicus was more present in women with cervicitis. In fact, the bacterium was more common in women without the condition. While the results of this study are confusing, because the Kenyan study seems to disprove the results of the Seattle study, it important to keep in mind the flaws of this study as a whole. There were many factors not taken into consideration during analysis, such as birth control intake and viral infections. Additionally, the criteria of cervicitis diagnosis were most-likely different in Seattle and Kenya, and there were very few women in the study that even had the condition. Regardless of the flaws, this study still gave good results which could lead scientists too look further into M. indolicus and L. jensenii for their contribution to cervical health. 

Bacterial vaginosis associated bacteria may increase a women’s risk for miscarriage

Bacterial infections or even slight imbalances can be damaging at many difference locations in the human body. One that should be taken seriously in bacterial vaginosis, which is an infection in females where a healthy bacterial balance is taken over by bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and Mycoplasma hominis to name a few. Meanwhile, the presence of Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacilus iners would be characteristic of a normal vaginal microbiome. In a study out of Philidelphia, Pa that was recently published by Maternal and Child Health Journal, researchers inspected a possible connection between bacterial vaginosis and pregnancy miscarriages.

          A total of 418 pregnant women were included in the study. 65% of the women were African American, 27% were Hispanic, and 4% were Caucasian. Women were eligible if they were seeking treatment prior to 14 days of gestation, if they were not pregnant with multiples, and if there were no issues in terms of ectopic or molar pregnancy. Swabs were collected from the women and analyzed. During this study, 74 women experienced a miscarriage, while 344 delivered at term.

          It was found that the group of women who had miscarriages were older than those who did not. Women with high concentrations of Bacterial Vaginosis-Associated Bacterium 3 (BVAB3) before 2 weeks gestation had a 20% increased chance of miscarriage. On the other hand, for each one unit increase in Leptotrichia/Sneathia species concentration, risk of miscarriage decreased by 20%, and for that of Megasphaera phylotype 1-like species risk decreased by 19%. The implications of this type of research could be very beneficial to women everywhere. More knowledge like this could hopefully one day lead doctors towards even better care for pregnant women. Ideally, with more research into this area, the prevalence of miscarriages could be lowered.