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The association between Trichomonas vaginalis infection and level of vaginal lactobacilli, in nonpregnant women.

Torok MR, Miller WC, Hobbs MM, Macdonald PD, Leone PA, Schwebke JR, Sena AC

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. torok@email.unc.edu

The effect that vaginal lactobacilli have on trichomoniasis is not known. At 3 clinics for treatment of sexually transmitted disease, we recruited 521 female patients with trichomoniasis and 176 control subjects. All participants underwent physical examinations and testing for sexually transmitted infection and completed questionnaires. Low levels of vaginal lactobacilli were associated with trichomoniasis (odds ratio [OR], 2.2 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.4-3.2]). After adjustment for covariables, this association remained in women with a higher educational level (OR, 4.6 [95% CI, 2.2-9.5]) but not in women with a lower educational level (OR, 1.6 [95% CI, 0.7-3.4]). Vaginal lactobacilli may be associated with trichomoniasis in women with higher levels of education or a related behavioral factor.

Published 31 August 2007 in J Infect Dis, 196(7): 1102-7.
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