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Recurrent Escherichia coli Urinary Tract Infection Triggered by Gardnerella vaginalis Bladder Exposure in Mice
Published on: December 4, 2020
Cytologically diagnosed Gardnerella vaginalis infection and cervical (pre)neoplasia as established in
Johanna M Klomp1, Mathilde E Boon, Maarten Van Haaften
1Leiden Cytology and Pathology Laboratory, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Objective:
Cervical inflammation has been proposed as a cofactor in the development of cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence of cervical (pre)neoplastic changes in asymptomatic women with a cytologically diagnosed Gardnerella vaginalis infection.
Study Design:
Data were collected from 800,498 Dutch asymptomatic women, participating in the Dutch national screening program. Prevalences of (pre)neoplasia were calculated for G vaginalis smears using a healthy flora as reference.
Results:
The prevalence of G vaginalis infection was 0.6 per thousand. The odds ratio for (pre)neoplasia was significantly higher in smears with G vaginalis infection compared with smears of women with a healthy vaginal flora (odds ratio, 10.3; 95% confidence interval, 6.6-16.1).
Conclusion:
Cytologically diagnosed G vaginalis smears show a strong covariation with the presence of cervical (pre)neoplasia. Future research should therefore focus on the exact causal relation between cytologic G vaginalis infection and the presence of (pre)neoplastic changes of the cervix.
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