The Vaginal Microbiome and HIV Susceptibility

In young South African women, polymicrobial-predominant vaginal microbiomes were associated with higher risk for acquiring HIV compared with Lactobacillus crispatus–predominant microbiomes.

HIV incidence in adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa is twice that of males. In addition to behavioral risk factors, biological factors in the vaginal milieu have been hypothesized to contribute to this high incidence (NEJM JW Infect Dis Apr 2018 and Lancet Inf Dis 2018 Jan 25; [e-pub]; NEJM JW Infect Dis Mar 2017 and Immunity 2017; 46:29). In a post hoc analysis of data from the CAPRISA study (which demonstrated the efficacy of tenofovir gel at preventing HIV), investigators used mass spectrometry to analyze the vaginal microbiome in cervicovaginal lavage samples obtained at a single time point (4.7 months before HIV acquisition). Participants included 61 HIV-positive cases and 688 HIV-negative controls stratified into 3…

Reviewing Author

Hana M. El Sahly, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Hana M. El Sahly, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

The Vaginal Microbiome and HIV Susceptibility

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Reviewing Author