The makeup of the vaginal microbiome could have a significant impact on women’s susceptibility to HI
The makeup of the vaginal microbiome could have a significant impact on women’s susceptibility to HIV, according to new studies that were recently presented at the annual AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa. Levels of certain bacteria determine not only how likely women are to become infected, but how effective preventative medication can be.In recent years, studies have shown that susceptibility to HIV in women has to do with the presence of Lactobacillus, a species that creates an acidic environment that many pathogens can’t survive in. In the United States, 90% of white women have high levels of Lactobacillus in the vagina, compared to only 37% in women studied in SwaZulu-Natal, a province of South Africa with markedly high numbers of HIV infections in women. Following these studies, researchers are not finding more data to explain this strange phenomenon. A procedure of giving anti-HIV drugs to patients before infection called pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) has been noted to cause significantly more successful results for men than for women. Vaginal swabs were studied from women undergoing this procedure to compare those for whom it was effective versus those for whom it was not. Ian Lipkin’s lab at Columbia University found the most harmful species was Prevotella bivia, which was associated with a thirteen times higher likelihood of becoming infected with HIV in women where it was prevalent (greater than 1% of the vaginal microbiome). These women also had reduced levels of Lactobacillus. It was found that among women with less than 50% Lactobacilli, PrEP is only 18% effective, compared to 61% effective for those with over 50% Lactobacilli. Another bacteria, Gardnerella, which thrives where lactobacilli are scarce, inhibits the drugs.Though some scientists are skeptical about how far this research can be applied to preventing HIV–efforts have shown that the gut microbiome is very difficult to manipulate–others remain hopeful that it will lead to more simple and effective drugs.Read the full article here. -- source link
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