Summary Elevated inflammation in the female genital tract is associated with increased HIV risk. Cervicovaginal bacteria modulate genital inflammation, however their role in HIV susceptibility has not been elucidated. In a prospective cohort of young, healthy South African women, we found that individuals with diverse genital bacterial communities dominated by anaerobes other than Gardnerella were at over 4-fold higher risk of acquiring HIV and had increased numbers of activated mucosal CD4+ T cells compared to those with Lactobacillus crispatus-dominant communities. We identified specific bacterial taxa linked with reduced (L. crispatus) or elevated (Prevotella, Sneathia, and other anaerobes) inflammation and HIV infection and found that high-risk bacteria increased numbers of activated genital CD4+ T cells in a murine model. Our results suggest that highly prevalent genital bacteria increase HIV risk by inducing mucosal HIV target cells. These findings may be leveraged to reduce HIV acquisition in women living in sub-Saharan Africa.

BackgroundLittle is known about short-term bacterial fluctuations in the human vagina. This study used PCR to assess the variability in concentrations of key vaginal bacteria in healthy women and the immediate response to antibiotic treatment in women with bacterial vaginosis (BV).Methodology/Principal FindingsTwenty-two women assessed for BV using Amsel's criteria were evaluated daily for 7 or 14 days, then at 2, 3 and 4 weeks, using a panel of 11 bacterium-specific quantitative PCR assays. Participants with BV were treated with 5 days of intravaginal metronidazole. Participants without BV had vaginal biotas dominated by lactobacilli, whose levels fluctuated with menses. With onset of menstruation, quantities of Lactobacillus jensenii and Lactobacillus crispatus decreased and were found to be inversely related to Gardnerella vaginalis concentrations (p<0.001). Women with BV had a variety of fastidious bacteria whose concentrations dropped below detection thresholds 1–5 days after starting metronidazole. Recurrent BV was characterized by initial profound decreases of BV-associated bacteria after treatment followed by subsequent increases at relapse.Conclusions/SignificanceThe microbiota of the human vagina can be highly dynamic. Healthy women are colonized with Lactobacillus species, but levels can change dramatically over a month. Marked increases in G. vaginalis were observed during menses. Participants with BV have diverse communities of fastidious bacteria that are depleted by vaginal metronidazole therapy. Women with recurrent BV initially respond to antibiotic treatment with steep declines in bacterial concentrations, but these bacteria later reemerge, suggesting that antibiotic resistance in these bacteria is not an important factor mediating BV recurrence.

Objective Evaluate upper genital tract (UGT) presence of vaginal bacterial species using sensitive molecular methods capable of detecting fastidious bacterial vaginosis (BV)-associated bacteria. Study Design Vaginal swabs were collected prior to hysterectomy. The excised uterus was sterilely opened and swabs collected from endometrium and upper endocervix. DNA was tested in 11 quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays for 12 bacterial species: Lactobacillus iners, L. crispatus, L. jensenii, Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, Megasphaera spp., Prevotella spp., Leptotrichia/Sneathia, BVAB1, BVAB2, BVAB3 and a broad-range16S rRNA gene assay. Endometrial fluid was tested with Luminex and ELISA for cytokines and defensins, and tissue for gene expression of defensins and cathelicidin. Results We enrolled 58 women: mean age 43 + 7 years, mostly white (n = 46; 79%) and BV-negative (n = 43; 74%). By species-specific qPCR, 55 (95%) had UGT colonization with at least one species (n = 52), or were positive by 16S PCR (n = 3). The most common species were L. iners (45% UGT, 61% vagina), Prevotella spp. (33% UGT, 76% vagina) and L. crispatus (33% UGT, 56% vagina). Median quantities of bacteria in the UGT were lower than vaginal levels by 2–4 log10 rRNA gene copies/swab. There were no differences in endometrial inflammatory markers between women with no bacteria, Lactobacillus only or any BV-associated species in the UGT. Conclusion Our data suggest that the endometrial cavity is not sterile in most women undergoing hysterectomy, and that the presence of low levels of bacteria in the uterus is not associated with significant inflammation.

Cervicovaginal microbiota play a critical role in women's health and reproductive outcomes. Despite being one of the simplest commensal bacterial communities in the human body, we are only beginning to appreciate its complex dynamic nature and important role in host immune modulation. In this review, we discuss the "optimal" cervicovaginal bacterial community composition, the impact of microbiota on gynecologic and obstetric outcomes, and the hurdles to developing a deeper mechanistic understanding of the function of the cervicovaginal microbiome. We then describe efforts to durably alter microbial composition in this compartment by promotion of Lactobacillus colonization with probiotics, modulation of vaginal pH, hormonal administration, and the eradication of pathogenic bacteria with antibiotics. Finally, we draw on lessons learned from the deeply investigated gut microbiome to suggest future avenues of research into host-pathogen interactions in the female genital tract.