Intensive care medicine

Biology

Chorioamnionitis

Vagina

Surgery

Bacterial vaginosis

Vaginitis

Environmental health

Current (fluid)

Immunology

Genetics

Thermodynamics

Microbiome

Physics

Bioinformatics

Human microbiome

Microbiology

Gestational age

Population

Reproductive health

Obstetrics

Gynecology

Medicine

Premature rupture of membranes

Pregnancy

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

A healthy female genital tract harbors a microbiome dominated by lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide producing bacteria, which provide protection against infections by maintaining a low pH. Changes in the bacterial compositions of the vaginal microbiome can lead to bacterial vaginosis (BV), which is often associated with vaginal inflammation. Bacterial vaginosis increases the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and affects women's reproductive health negatively. In pregnant women, BV can lead to chorioamnionitis and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm premature rupture of the membranes and preterm birth. In order to manage BV effectively, good diagnostic procedures are required. Traditionally clinical and microscopic methods have been used to diagnose BV; however, these methods require skilled staff and time and suffer from reduced sensitivity and specificity. New diagnostics, including highly sensitive and specific point-of-care (POC) tests, treatment modalities and vaccines can be developed based on the identification of biomarkers from the growing pool of vaginal microbiome and vaginal metabolome data. In this review the current and future diagnostic avenues will be discussed.

Bacterial Vaginosis: Current Diagnostic Avenues and Future Opportunities