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Title: | Differential sexual network connectivity offers a parsimonious explanation for population-level variations in the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis: a data-driven, model-supported hypothesis | Authors: | Kenyon, Chris R. DELVA, Wim Brotman, Rebecca M. |
Issue Date: | 2019 | Publisher: | BMC | Source: | BMC WOMENS HEALTH, 19 (Art N° 8) | Abstract: | BackgroundThe prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and vaginal microbiota types varies dramatically between different populations around the world. Understanding what underpins these differences is important, as high-diversity microbiotas associated with BV are implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes and enhanced susceptibility to and transmission of sexually transmitted infections.Main textWe hypothesize that these variations in the vaginal microbiota can, in part, be explained by variations in the connectivity of sexual networks. We argue: 1) Couple-level data suggest that BV-associated bacteria can be sexually transmitted and hence high sexual network connectivity would be expected to promote the spread of BV-associated bacteria. Epidemiological studies have found positive associations between indicators of network connectivity and the prevalence of BV; 2) The relationship between BV prevalence and STI incidence/prevalence can be parsimoniously explained by differential network connectivity; 3) Studies from other mammals are generally supportive of the association between network connectivity and high-diversity vaginal microbiota.ConclusionTo test this hypothesis, we propose a combination of empirical and simulation-based study designs. | Notes: | [Kenyon, Chris R.] Inst Trop Med, STI Unit, Natl Str 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium. [Delva, Wim] South African DST NRF Ctr Excellence Epidemiol Mo, Stellenbosch, South Africa. [Delva, Wim] Stellenbosch Univ, Dept Global Hlth, Fac Med & Hlth Sci, Stellenbosch, South Africa. [Delva, Wim] Univ Ghent, Int Ctr Reprod Hlth, Ghent, Belgium. [Delva, Wim] Hasselt Univ, Ctr Stat, Diepenbeek, Belgium. [Delva, Wim] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Rega Inst Med Res, Leuven, Belgium. [Brotman, Rebecca M.] Univ Maryland, Sch Med, Dept Epidemiol & Publ Hlth, Inst Genome Sci, Ghent, Belgium. | Keywords: | Bacterial vaginosis; Microbiome; Sexual network connectivity; Concurrency; STI; HIV;Bacterial vaginosis; Microbiome; Sexual network connectivity; Concurrency; STI; HIV | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/28993 | e-ISSN: | 1472-6874 | DOI: | 10.1186/s12905-018-0703-0 | ISI #: | 000455493400003 | Rights: | The Author(s). 2019 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution | Validations: | ecoom 2020 |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
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