Congratulations to Erica Plummer on her PhD completion!

Congratulations to Erica Plummer, who has completed her PhD degree!

Erica's thesis is titled, "Investigating the pathogenesis of bacterial vaginosis". She was supervised by Professor Catriona Bradshaw, Prof Kit Fairley, Dr Dieter Bulach, Dr Gerald Murray, Dr Lenka Vodstrcil and Dr Suzanne Garland.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a highly prevalent vaginal condition that is associated with serious clinical sequelae. BV recurrence following first-line treatment with antibiotics is unacceptably high, and there have been few improvements in BV cure for decades. New and more effective treatments for BV are needed to reduce the serious sequelae associated with BV and the repeated antibiotic use that result from multiple recurrences. Erica's thesis aimed to investigate the pathogenesis of BV with a focus on evidence for sexual transmission, and to determine what factors influence the composition and stability of the vaginal microbiota.
 

Participants sought: Treating male partners of women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) to reduce recurrence

See more about the study at bvstepup.org.au

Are you a male partner of a woman who has had bacterial vaginosis? We would love to hear from you for a study we are running!

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge in women of reproductive age, and can be associated with important adverse pregnancy outcomes and increased risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Current recommended antibiotic treatments are effective initially, but 1 in 2 women will get their BV back again within 6 months of treatment.

Participants sought: Treating the male partners of women with bacterial vaginosis

Treating regular male partners of women with bacterial vaginosis
may reduce reinfection rates. Image: MSHC

Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal condition among women which often comes back even after antibiotic treatment.

Some of the bacteria associated with BV are present on the genitals of male partners of women with BV. We believe that reinfection from sexual partners may be contributing to the high rates of women getting BV again.

IF YOU HAVE BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS AND HAVE A REGULAR MALE SEXUAL PARTNER, WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

"What's going on down there?" Bacterial vaginosis explained

A new website with information about bacterial vaginosis

A new website aimed at raising awareness about common vaginal conditions, 'What's Going On Down There?' www.wgodt.com.au, has recently been launched by researchers at Monash University.   Led by Dr Jade Bilardi (Central Clinical School), in collaboration with researchers from Alfred Health/Monash University (Associate Professor Catriona Bradshaw, Professor Christopher Fairley, Dr Lenka Vodstrcil) and the University of Melbourne (Professor Meredith Temple-Smith),  the website aims to inform women about a relatively unknown vaginal condition - bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Recurrent bacterial vaginosis - a female perspective

By Dr Jodie Abramovitch

Dr Jade Bilardi - first author of the BV study

The most common vaginal infection of women of reproductive age is bacterial vaginosis (BV). BV is characterised by an imbalance of natural vaginal bacteria species leading to symptoms such as abnormal odour and discharge. It has more seriously been associated with an increased incidence of miscarriage, premature birth, HIV and a higher risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection.

The cause of BV and the way it is transmitted from person to person are not well understood. However, there is increasing evidence BV may be sexually transmitted. Current treatment and patient management is suboptimal, leading to a high recurrence rate among affected women.