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Bacterial vaginosis
Make it clearer
Bacterial vaginosis isn't a case of one bacterium arriving from outside and moving in. It's a dysbiosis, meaning a disruption of the balance among the bacteria that already live in the vagina. Lactobacilli, which normally have the upper hand, lose that dominance, and a mixed crowd of anaerobic bacteria, the kind that get by without oxygen, grows in their place.
Some of them can gather into a biofilm, a layer of microbes stuck to the vaginal surface, a lot like the film you can feel on your teeth when you wake up. It can show up in someone who isn't sexually active, and many people have it without noticing a thing. Exactly where it comes from and how it passes from one person to another still isn't fully understood.
In brief
Bacterial vaginosis is not caused by a single bacterium. It is a form of dysbiosis, meaning a shift in the balance of the vaginal bacterial community.
Lactobacilli usually become less dominant, while a diverse community of anaerobic bacteria, which can grow without oxygen, becomes more prominent. Some of these bacteria can form a biofilm, a layer of microbes attached to the vaginal surface.
Bacterial vaginosis can occur without sexual activity, and many people have no symptoms; its causes and routes of transmission are not fully understood.
Sources (2)
- Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAbout Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)Published
- Centers for Disease Control and PreventionBacterial Vaginosis - STI Treatment GuidelinesPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated