Incidental Findings of Bacterial Vaginosis and Other Infections in Papanicolaou Smears of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Adolescent Females in South Africa.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a widely prevalent infection that is associated with a range of adverse outcomes. We compared the rates of incidentally identified BV and other cervico-vaginal infections on Papanicolaou (Pap) smears of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected adolescent females in South Africa. Cervical specimens from 50 HIV-uninfected and 32 HIV-infected sexually active South African adolescent females age 17-21 were collected and analyzed in accordance with the Bethesda system.