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L’Oréal Australia Fellow launches sexual health study4 March 2008 One in ten Australian women suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV). But how is it spread?First year female students at the University of Melbourne are being sought to take part in a study on bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common but poorly understood known genital disease. The study, which starts today, has been initiated by L'Oréal Australia For Women in Science Fellow Dr Catriona Bradshaw. She hopes to learn more about how common this infection is in young women commencing university, and how it may be related to contraceptive and sexual practices. BV is the most common genital disease of women, affecting ten to thirty percent of women in developed countries, including Australia. But its cause is poorly understood and treatments are not always fully effective. The new study aims to unravel some of the mystery surrounding the condition. The study, named FUSS (Female University Student Study), aims to recruit 500 female university students, mostly in their first year of study, at the University of Melbourne, and will look at the prevalence of BV in these women over a period of up to 12 months and its association with specific practices. “We want to understand how this common genital infection develops in women and how it may be related to a range of factors that includes sexual and contraceptive practices,” says Bradshaw, a L'Oréal Fellow, physician at the Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic and researcher at the University of Melbourne’s School of Population Health and Monash University. “Until we fully understand the factors that cause the condition, we can’t improve current treatments.” Bradshaw says the disease is commonly perceived by women and their doctors to be due to an imbalance in the normal vaginal flora. But her studies have shown a pattern quite different from thrush or Candida and more akin to sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydia. “The cause of this condition is still unclear and whether it is sexually transmitted is unknown. While many women with BV do not suffer from any complications, it can increase a woman’s risk of acquiring other sexually transmitted diseases and obstetric complications, so improving our understanding of how it is spread and our management of this condition is a priority,” she says. Last year Bradshaw won a $20,000 fellowship from L’Oréal Australia to kickstart her investigation into the disease. FUSS is the first of a planned series of clinical studies investigating the links between the prevalence and incidence of the disease in young women, its relationship to sexual practices, other sexual diseases and treatment options. Bradshaw is leading the study, along with postgraduate research fellow Dr Katherine Fethers and Professor Christopher Fairley, director of the Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic. “Catriona was one of four inaugural L'Oréal Fellows in 2007. It’s exciting to see this important study start,” says Mark Tucker, Managing Director, L'Oréal Australia. “Fellowship applications for our 2008 fellowships will open in May. The study opens on the day that L'Oréal and UNESCO celebrate ten years of their international For Women in Science Program. Media enquiries: Dr Catriona Bradshaw cbradshaw@mshc.org.au and 0438 302 414 or Niall Byrne, 03 9398 1416, 0417 131 977, niall@scienceinpublic.com.au. If you are interested in participating in the study contact FUSS fuss@mshc.org.au or 1800 458 406 or visit http://www.mshc.org.au/fuss/. Background informationWhat is Bacterial Vaginosis?BV is a bacterial infection of the vagina that affects 10-30% of women worldwide. Not much is known about how it is transmitted, although there is some evidence to suggest that it could be sexually transmitted. It is diagnosed by microscopic examination of a vaginal swab, looking for a disturbance in the normal healthy vaginal flora, which includes loss of the dominant vaginal lactobacillus species. Swabs from women with BV show a different combination of bacterial species which produce chemical compounds that can cause the abnormal odour often associated with the condition. Some women also report an abnormal vaginal discharge. But at least half of the women who have BV don’t have any symptoms at all. In most women BV has no complications, but it can cause miscarriage, premature birth and pelvic infections, and can increase a woman’s risk of getting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The disease is typically treated with oral or vaginal antibiotics, but while 70-80% of women are cured of the infection within a month, up to half experience a recurrence within six months. The studyThe initial stage of FUSS consists of a questionnaire and a vaginal swab, which can be performed by the participant in the privacy of her own home and posted in to the clinic. The confidential questionnaire will ask a series of questions covering aspects of the participant’s contraceptive and sexual history and can be completed on the web or as a hard copy. The questionnaire is coded with no name or identifying features. The swab will be tested for bacterial vaginosis and participants will informed of the result. If they are infected with bacterial vaginosis they can receive free antibiotic treatment from Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic. Participants in the first stage of the study will be asked if they want to continue with a 12 month long study, in which the testing will be repeated every three months. It will take 10-15 minutes to complete the questionnaire and take the swab on each occasion. Participants can ask to be informed of the study’s outcomes once the results have been analysed and they will also be published in a medical journal. Participants will receive Coles Myer vouchers in recognition of their time at the beginning of the study and again at 6 and 12 months. One of the other features of the study is that participants will be provided with a free 1800 number to contact investigators at any stage during the study if they have any concerns or wish to have an appointment at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre with a doctor for contraceptive or sexual health issues. The clinical service is free and confidential and does not require Medicare. More details about FUSS can be found at the study’s website www.mshc.org.au/fuss/. L’Oréal For Women in Science Australian FellowshipsL’Oréal Australia’s For Women in Science Fellowships are awarded annually to four early career female scientists in Australia. The fellowship provides $20,000 that can be put toward scientific equipment and research costs, tuition or childcare.
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