Behavioral Predictors of Colonization with Lactobacillus crispatus or Lactobacillus jensenii after Treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis: A Cohort Study

Objective: Evaluate predictors of vaginal colonization with lactobacilli after treatment for bacterial vaginosis (BV).Methods. Vaginal fluid specimens from women with BV underwent qPCR forLactobacillus crispatus,L. jensenii, andL. inerspre- and posttreatment.Results. Few women with BV were colonized withL. crispatus(4/44, 9%) orL. jensenii(1/44, 2%), though all hadL. iners.One month posttreatment 12/44 (27%) hadL. crispatus, 12/44 (27%)L. jensenii, and 43/44 (98%)L. iners.Presence ofL. jenseniiposttreatment was associated with cure (Risk Ratio (RR) 1.67; 95% CI 1.09–2.56);L. crispatusshowed a similar trend (RR 1.41; 95% CI 0.89–2.24,P=0.14). Receptive oral sex was associated with 2.2-log10lower concentration ofL. crispatus(95% CI −4.38, −.02), and digital-vaginal sex with 2.6-log10lower concentration (95% CI −4.87, −.33).Conclusion. One month after BV treatment, few women established colonization withL. crispatusorL. jensenii. Few behaviors were associated with colonization.