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Article: Vaginitis: two common causes bacterial vaginosis and atrophic vaginitis.(Women's Health Update)
- Article from:
- Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
- Article date:
- August 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Townsend Letter Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Bacterial Vaginosis
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Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of vaginal complaints and abnormal vaginal discharge and odor. BV consists of a significant polymicrobial overgrowth in which the bacteria act synergistically to cause an odor and discharge, and may lead to potential complications in the uterus and fallopian tubes. It is best to consider BV to be the result of alterations in the vaginal ecosystem, rather than an infection caused by any single miroorganism. In BV, the environment of the vagina shifts from a predominance of lactobacilli to a predominance of anaerobes (mainly Prevotella, Peptostreptococcus species, ...