Immunity to Sexually Transmitted Bacterial Infections of the Female Genital Tract: Toward Effective Vaccines

Overview

Journal Vaccines (Basel)

Date 2024 Aug 29

PMID 39203989

Authors

Kacy S Yount

Toni Darville

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) caused by bacterial pathogens , , and present significant public health challenges. These infections profoundly impact reproductive health, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and increased susceptibility to other infections. Prevention measures, including antibiotic treatments, are limited by the often-asymptomatic nature of these infections, the need for repetitive and continual screening of sexually active persons, antibiotic resistance for gonorrhea, and shortages of penicillin for syphilis. While vaccines exist for viral STIs like human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV), there are no vaccines available for bacterial STIs. This review examines the immune responses in the female genital tract to these bacterial pathogens and the implications for developing effective vaccines against bacterial STIs.

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