Women who suffer from an infection known as bacterial vaginosis, or BV, may soon have hope for banishing the annoying and potentially hazardous condition permanently, by receiving a transplant of vaginal fluid. The new procedure is currently under development by medical researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the scientists published their findings this week in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.
BV, according to a BBC report on the new study, is not necessarily serious in itself, but can lead to more serious conditions by causing women to become more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract infections. But the main symptoms of BV are primarily annoyances, including excess vaginal discharge and a “strong fishy smell.”
Antibiotics are effective in treating the condition, but once treated with antibiotics, it will often recur at a later date. BV is the most common vaginal infection in women ages 15 to 44, and afflicts some 21 million American women—more than 29 percent—between the ages of 14 and 49, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
BV is not a sexually transmitted infection, but is caused by a change in the balance in the vaginal microbiome—that is, the bacteria that normally live in the vagina and, if kept in the correct balance, are necessary for vaginal health. Such an imbalance can be caused by a change in the pH, or alkaline-acid ratio, in the vaginal region. In turn, imbalanced pH can be the result of numerous factors ranging from general lifestyle habits, to specific medications, to hormonal changes due to a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Sexual activity can also raise vaginal pH, because both semen and saliva have somewhat high alkaline content.
The researchers say they are now trying to identify the factors that make an “ideal” donor of vaginal fluid, which include a low pH, and high levels of a beneficial bacteria named Lactobacillus crispatus. Prospective donors would also be required to abstain from sexual activity for 30 days, and of course would have to pass a thorough screening for STDs, including HIV, which could be passed on to the recipient of the vaginal fluid.
The Johns Hopkins researchers say that they were inspired by the recent success of fecal transplant procedures, which have been used to treat intestinal tract infections by implanting feces from a healthy donor into patients who suffer from imbalances in the gut microbiome, which can cause a variety of digestive maladies and diseases, according to Medical News Today.
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