Role of Bacterial Vaginosis in Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Abstract

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a frequent infection in sexually active young women and results in adverse sequelae, including tubal-factor infertility and ectopic pregnancy. In the 1970s investigations using culdocentesis demonstrated that anaerobic bacteria played an important role in the etiology of PID. This finding has subsequently been confirmed by studies utilizing laparoscopy and/or endometrial biopsy to obtain specimens directly from the upper genital tract (uterine cavity and fallopian tube) of patients with acute PID. Recently, several investigations have shown an association between bacterial vaginosis and the development of acute PID. The microorganisms associated with bacterial vaginosis include anaerobes such as Prevotella bivia, other Prevotella species, and Peptostreptococcus species. These studies that have demonstrated the presence of bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria in addition to the sexually transmitted organisms Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis suggest that treatment of acute PID must be broad spectrum in nature and effective against anaerobic bacteria as well as N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis.