Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Dec 10:8:567885.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.567885. eCollection 2020.

The Association Between Vaginal Microbiota Dysbiosis, Bacterial Vaginosis, and Aerobic Vaginitis, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes of Women Living in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The Association Between Vaginal Microbiota Dysbiosis, Bacterial Vaginosis, and Aerobic Vaginitis, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes of Women Living in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Naomi C A Juliana et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have described the association between dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiota (VMB) and related dysbiotic conditions, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) and aerobic vaginitis (AV), and various adverse pregnancy outcomes. There is limited overview of this association from countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which bear a disproportionally high burden of both vaginal dysbiotic conditions and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This systematic review assesses the evidence on the association between VMB dysbiosis, BV, and AV, and late adverse pregnancy outcomes in women living in SSA. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Statement (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Three databases [PubMed, Embase (Ovid), and Cochrane] were used to retrieve observational and intervention studies conducted in SSA that associated VMB dysbiosis, BV, or AV and preterm birth/labor/delivery, preterm rupture of membranes (PROM), low birthweight, small for gestational age, intrauterine growth restriction, intrauterine infection, intrauterine (fetal) death, stillbirth, perinatal death, or perinatal mortality. Results: Twelve studies out of 693 search records from five SSA countries were included. One study identified a positive association between VMB dysbiosis and low birthweight. Despite considerable differences in study design and outcome reporting, studies reported an association between BV and preterm birth (7/9), low birthweight (2/6), PROM (2/4), intrauterine infections (1/1), and small for gestational age (1/1). None of the retrieved studies found an association between BV and pregnancy loss (5/5) or intrauterine growth retardation (1/1). At least two studies support the association between BV and PROM, low birthweight, and preterm birth in Nigerian pregnant women. No reports were identified investigating the association between AV and late adverse pregnancy outcomes in SSA. Conclusion: Two of the included studies from SSA support the association between BV and PROM. The remaining studies show discrepancies in supporting an association between BV and preterm birth or low birthweight. None of the studies found an association between BV and pregnancy loss. As for the role of VMB dysbiosis, BV, and AV during pregnancy among SSA women, additional research is needed. These results provide useful evidence for prevention efforts to decrease vaginal dysbiosis and its contribution to adverse pregnancy outcomes in SSA.

Keywords: anaerobic vaginitis (AV); bacterial vaginosis (BV); microbiome; pregnancy outcomes; sub-saharan africa; systematic review; vaginal dysbiosis; vaginal microbiota (VMB).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA based Flow diagram displaying the study selection (69).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Map of Africa depicting sub-Saharan countries (in gray) where the included studies were conducted (in red) and countries not considered within the sub-Saharan region (spotted). Map created with Mapchart (83).

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Mombo-Ngoma G, Mackanga JR, González R, Ouedraogo S, Kakolwa MA, Manego RZ, et al. . Young adolescent girls are at high risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: an observational multicountry study. BMJ Open. (2016) 6:e011783. 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011783 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kinney MV, Kerber KJ, Black RE, Cohen B, Nkrumah F, Coovadia H, et al. . Sub-Saharan Africa's mothers, newborns, and children: where and why do they die? PLoS Med. (2010) 7:e1000294. 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000294 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO WHO | Maternal and Perinatal Health. (2020). Available online at: https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/maternal/maternal_p... (accessed March 11, 2020).
    1. Ramharter M, Grobusch MP, Kießling G, Adegnika AA, Möller U, Agnandji STM, et al. . Clinical and parasitological characteristics of puerperal malaria. J Infect Dis. (2005) 191:1005–9. 10.1086/427781 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adegnika AA, Verweij JJ, Agnandji ST, Chai SK, Breitling LP, Ramharter M, et al. . Microscopic and sub-microscopic plasmodium falciparum infection, but not inflammation caused by infection, is associated with low birth weight. Am J Trop Med Hyg. (2006) 75:798–803. 10.4269/ajtmh.2006.75.798 - DOI - PubMed