Vaginal infections demonstrated to be implicated in the persistence of HPV, activating a vicious circle of vaginal microbial perturbations. HPV infection can destroy the biofilm barrier formed by the local vaginal immune microenvironment, leading to a condition called dysbiosis. Contemporarily, the resulting local microecological imbalance in the vagina can subsequently upregulate the expression of the HPV protein, increasing HPV-related cytological alterations.
A total of 483 women affected by different vaginal infections and concomitant HPV-positivity were enrolled between 2018 and 2020 at Department of Gynecological, Obstetrical and Urological Sciences, University "Sapienza" of Rome (Rome, Italy) and 2nd Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy). Women with positive swabs for infections were randomized in two groups, standard specific treatment (n=231) versus the standard treatment plus long-lasting (9 months) vaginal and oral probiotics implementation (n=252).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
483
Probiotics implementation
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana
Pisa, Italy
Evaluation of a possible role of probiotics in HPV clearance
Changes in HPV test positivity
Time frame: 12 months
Evaluation in vaginal infection resolution
Negative swab test for vaginal infections, complete symptoms resolution, absence of colposcopy findings suggestive for permanence of infections (e.g. colpitis, fine punctuation, etc), absence of infection following Amsel's criteria
Time frame: 12 months
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