Common Vaginal Infection May Increase Likeliness of HIV Infection

Public health researchers have found that women who have bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common vaginal infection, may be more susceptible to contracting HIV. It is unclear what the nature of the relationship between the two sexually transmitted diseases is. One theory is that BV changes the environment of the vagina by depleting “healthy” bacteria that usually defend against infections. BV also decreases the acidity of the vaginal environment, which may allow the HIV virus to better survive and cause infection.