Method for Cervicovaginal Secretion Transplants to Restore Healthy Vaginal Microbiota

Approximately one-third of all women currently have bacterial vaginosis (BV), a condition where the vaginal microbiota is not dominated by lactobacilli. Another one-third of women have mixed vaginal microbiota (intermediate BV), and only one-third of women have healthy, lactobacilli-dominated microbiota. Women with BV are known to have >2-6-fold increased susceptibility to numerous sexually transmitted infections (STI), including HIV, herpes (HSV), gonorrhea, chlamydia, and other viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens. STI transmission rates from women to men are also higher if the woman has BV. Pregnant women with BV are much more susceptible to miscarriage, premature delivery, and post-partum endometriosis. Strong links have also been established between BV and increased incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease and urinary tract infections. Perhaps most alarming, few people have heard of BV, and even fewer know how to identify if they have it. Although BV is an incredibly important global womens health issue, there is currently no known long-term cure: antibiotic treatments are associated with relapse rates as high as 70% after a few months. Here, we describe a method for transplantation of CVS from a woman with healthy vaginal microbiota to a woman with BV as a means for restoring healthy vaginal microbiota. If successful, CVS transplants for curing BV will have a major impact on womens sexual and reproductive health.

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