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Toll-like receptor gene variants and bacterial vaginosis among HIV-1 infected and uninfected African women

Genes & Immunity volume 16, pages 362–365 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal syndrome associated with altered microflora that increases the risk of preterm delivery and acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases. The cause of BV is unknown although toll-like receptors (TLRs), that are central to innate immune responses, may be important. We evaluated associations between TLR SNPs and BV among HIV-1 infected and uninfected African women. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between SNPs (N=99) in TLRs 2–4, 7–9 and BV (as classified by Nugent’s criteria). Among HIV-1 uninfected women, TLR7 rs5743737 and TLR7 rs1634323 were associated with a decreased risk of BV, whereas TLR7 rs179012 was associated with an increased risk. TLR2 SNP rs3804099 was associated with a decreased risk of BV among HIV-1 infected women. Our findings indicate that there may be differences in TLR association with BV among HIV-1 infected and HIV-1 uninfected women.

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Acknowledgements

The specimens and data for this analysis were collected in the context of the Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission Study (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant #26469) with BV analysis augmented through support from NIH NAID R01 AI-083034. Genotyping was supported through NIH R21 AI073115. The authors are grateful for the women who participated in this study and the Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission Study team in Africa and Seattle who provided clinical and laboratory data.

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Author notes

  1. R D Mackelprang and C W Scoville: Authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    R D Mackelprang & C W Scoville

  2. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    C R Cohen

  3. Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya

    R O Ondondo

  4. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), Kakamega, Kenya, Kakamega, Kenya

    R O Ondondo

  5. Consortium for National Health Research (CNHR), Nairobi, Kenya

    R O Ondondo

  6. Department of Anthropology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    A W Bigham

  7. Department of Global Health and Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    C Celum & J R Lingappa

  8. Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    M S Campbell

  9. Department of Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    M Essex

  10. Department of Medicine, Laboratory Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    A Wald

  11. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    A Wald

  12. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

    J Kiarie

  13. Departments of Medical Microbiology and Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitob, Canada

    A Ronald

  14. Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Soweto, South Africa

    G Gray

Authors
  1. R D Mackelprang
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  2. C W Scoville
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  3. C R Cohen
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  4. R O Ondondo
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  5. A W Bigham
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  6. C Celum
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  7. M S Campbell
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  8. M Essex
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  9. A Wald
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  10. J Kiarie
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  11. A Ronald
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  12. G Gray
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  13. J R Lingappa
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for the Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission Study Team

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J R Lingappa.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Mackelprang, R., Scoville, C., Cohen, C. et al. Toll-like receptor gene variants and bacterial vaginosis among HIV-1 infected and uninfected African women. Genes Immun 16, 362–365 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/gene.2015.13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/gene.2015.13

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