Advances in Laboratory Diagnosis of Bacterial Vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), an imbalance of normal vaginal microecology, is manifested as a mixed infection. It is characterized by a decrease of normal hydrogen peroxide-producing lactobacillus and an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria (mobiluncus, prevotella) and facultative bacteria (gardnerella vaginalis, atopo vaginalis). BV is a risk factor for pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, sexually transmitted pathogens (human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus, neisseria gonorrhoeae, chlamydia trachomatis, etc.) infection. In addition, BV during pregnancy can lead to adverse obstetrical outcomes, including early miscarriage, premature delivery, postpartum endometritis, and low birth weight. The pathogens causing BV are diverse and have a high recurrence rate after treatment. About 10% to 50% of BV patients have no clinical symptoms and are easy to miss diagnosis. Rapid and accurate laboratory detection can provide timely diagnosis and treatment for BV patients and avoid adverse outcomes. Therefore, this paper reviews the research progress of diagnostic criteria, vaginal microecological evaluation and novel detection methods for BV, in order to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of BV.