Susceptibility of middle adolescent females to sexually transmitted infections: impact of hormone contraception and sexual behaviors on vaginal immunity.

Problem: The resistance and/or susceptibility to infections can be influenced by patterns of immunomodulators. Based on this and the high rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in adolescents, we examined the longitudinal relationship between sexual behaviors, hormonal contraceptive use, and bacterial vaginosis (BV) with vaginal-associated immunomodulators in adolescent females.

Method Of Study: Over 27 months, subjects completed detailed questionnaires, and consented to vaginal swabs for STI testing, and vaginal lavages for identification of immunomodulators including T-helper, proinflammatory, and chemokines.

Role for dendritic cells in immunoregulation during experimental vaginal candidiasis.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) caused by the commensal organism Candida albicans remains a significant problem among women of childbearing age, with protection against and susceptibility to infection still poorly understood. While cell-mediated immunity by CD4+ Th1-type cells is protective against most forms of mucosal candidiasis, no protective role for adaptive immunity has been identified against VVC. This is postulated to be due to immunoregulation that prohibits a more profound Candida-specific CD4+ T-cell response against infection.

Vaginal epithelial cell anti-Candida albicans activity is associated with protection against symptomatic vaginal candidiasis.

Vaginal epithelial cell (VEC) anti-Candida albicans activity, despite being measured in vitro, is considered an innate host defense mechanism. This was supported further by the fact that women protected from symptomatic infection following a live intravaginal Candida challenge had increased VEC anti-Candida activity compared to those who acquired a symptomatic infection.

Vaginal lactobacilli in adolescents: presence and relationship to local and systemic immunity, and to bacterial vaginosis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to survey middle adolescents for the presence of vaginal lactobacilli, lactobacilli-specific immune sensitization, and correlates of vaginal immunity with lactobacilli and bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Methods: A cohort of 89 female adolescents were evaluated for the presence of vaginal lactobacilli species, H2O2-producing species, and the prevalence of BV. Cytokines and antibodies in cervicovaginal lavages were detected and peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) responses to Lactobacillus crispatus were evaluated.