Association with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in HIV-Infected Women

Switch to mobile view »

Trichomoniasis has been associated with an increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women infected with HIV-1. Moodley (2002) suggests that T. vaginalis may damage the cervical mucus plug, which eases the passage of anaerobic bacteria and other pathogens linked to PID from the lower to the upper genital tract.1

Prevalence of Infections and PID among HIV Infected Women1
Infection All Patients Discharge Only Discharge + PID p Relative Risk
Bacterial Vaginosis 78% 79% 78% 0.8 1.1 (0.65-1.8)
Trichomoniasis 32% 29% 47% 0.002 1.9 (1.3-2.8)
Gonorrhea 16% 14% 21% 0.1 1.4 (0.9-2.3)
Chlamydia 15% 14% 17% 0.5 1.2 (0.7-2.0)
Table 1
  1. Moodley P, Connolly C, Sturm AW. Interrelationships among human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and the presence of yeasts. J Infect Dis. 2002 Jan 1;185(1):69-73. Epub 2001 Dec 4.