[Evaluation and contribution of molecular biology in the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis]

Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis, one of the most common pathologies in adult women, is defined as a chronic polymicrobial condition resulting from dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiota. Despite 70 % of patients being asymptomatic, diagnosis of this condition relies on clinico-microbiological tools. Despite being considered a gold standard technique, the Nugent score, established during microscopic examination of vaginal smears, has shown a lack of standardization and reproducibility. The discovery of new bacteria not included in the microscopic Nugent score, such as BVAB1,2,3, Atopobium sp., and Megaspheara sp., undetectable by conventional techniques, has highlighted a lack of specificity and sensitivity of the score currently provided to clinicians. This has spurred the development of new PCR kits to perform Nugent scores via molecular biology and address the shortcomings of microscopic techniques. This study has shed light on the contribution of molecular biology to the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis, as well as the performance and limitations of the Allplex™ Bacterial Vaginosis kit marketed by Seegen® compared to microscopic examination.

Keywords: clinical biology; gynecology; laboratories; microbiology; microbiota; molecular biology; vaginosis.