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Bacterial Balance
24 June 2018

Bacterial Balance

For many infections and diseases, the severity of symptoms suffered by one person can differ wildly to those suffered by someone else. Take human papillomavirus (HPV), for example. Some people who contract this common sexually transmitted virus are entirely symptomless, others may develop warts and, in some women, chronic HPV infection can ultimately lead to cervical cancer. While the reason for this wide spectrum of HPV effects is largely a mystery, researchers now have one piece of the puzzle. A recent study of 100 premenopausal women found that those with cervical cancer or precancer had fewer good bacteria, like the Lactobacillus crispatus pictured (pink), relative to bad bacteria in their vaginas than did women with healthy cervixes. Although the abundance of bad bacteria may simply correlate with rather than cause cancer, the observation nevertheless brings scientists a step closer to understanding cervical health and how to maintain it.

Written by Ruth Williams

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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