Evidence of a TH1-shift of local vaginal inflammatory response during bacterial vaginosis

Objective: To determine the levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the vagina of healthy women and in bacterial vaginosis (BV) patients. Methods: Interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, 1 beta, 5 and 10 were analyzed by ELISA in vaginal wash fluids from 50 non-pregnant patients with BV and 112 healthy women. Results: Levels of IL-1 beta were higher and those of IL-10 lower in BV-patients than in healthy women. There was a tendency towards higher levels of IL-1 alpha in BV patients, but these data were not statistically significant. Conclusion: We found evidence for a shift towards a TH1-dominated vaginal cytokine profile in the pathogenesis of BV. Levels of a TH1-cytokine were elevated and those of a TH2-cytokine lowered in BV-patients as compared to healthy controls. This points to a vaginal TH1-response during BV and to the importance of cell-mediated immunity in local vaginal infections.