Changes in Vaginal Bacteria and Inflammatory Mediators From Periconception Through the Early Postpartum Period in a Cohort of Kenyan Women Without HIV

Background Women's increased risk of HIV acquisition during pregnancy and postpartum may be mediated by changes in vaginal microbiota and/or cytokines. Methods A cohort of 80 Kenyan women who were HIV-1 seronegative contributed 409 vaginal samples at 6 pregnancy time points: periconception, positive pregnancy test result, first trimester, second trimester, third trimester, and postpartum. Concentrations of vaginal bacteria linked with HIV risk and Lactobacillus spp were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cytokines were measured by immunoassay. Results Based on Tobit regression, later pregnancy time points were associated with lower concentrations of Sneathia spp (P = .01), Eggerthella sp type 1 (P = .002), and Parvimonas sp type 2 (P = .02) and higher concentrations of Lactobacillus iners (P < .001), Lactobacillus crispatus (P < .001), Lactobacillus vaginalis (P < .001), interleukin 6 (P < .001), TNF (P = .004), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10; P < .001), C-C motif ligand 3 (P = .009), C-C motif ligand 4 (P < .001), C-C motif ligand 5 (P = .002), interleukin 1 & beta; (P = .02), and interleukin 8 (P = .002). Most cervicovaginal cytokines and vaginal bacteria clustered separately in principal component analysis, except for CXCL10, which did not group with either cytokines or bacteria. The shift toward a Lactobacillus-dominated microbiota during pregnancy mediated the relationship between pregnancy time point and CXCL10. Conclusions Increases in proinflammatory cytokines, but not vaginal bacterial taxa linked with higher HIV risk, could provide an explanation for increased HIV susceptibility during pregnancy and postpartum. Concentrations of vaginal bacteria linked to HIV risk decreased during pregnancy and the postpartum period, whereas Lactobacillus spp and proinflammatory cytokines increased. Shifts in vaginal bacteria linked to HIV acquisition and Lactobacillus spp mediated the association between CXCL10 and pregnancy time point.