Gardnerella vaginallis: a cofactor in cervical neoplasia?

RESUMO

Gardnerella vaginalis has been associated with cervical lesions. This agent produces nitrosamines that are transformed into carcinogenic derivatives by the cell metabolism. On the other hand, it seems that G. vaginalis can act synergistically with oncogenic agents, such as papillomarivus. The present paper, a five-year study, reports a significantly higher incidence of G. vaginallis infection (p<0.01) in patients whose PAP smears showed features of CIN. Comparing the incidence of this agent in the three grades of CIN cases, a higher incidence in the CIN I group (p<0.001) was observed. We emphasize the importance of PAP and clinical follow-up in patients with G. vaginalis infection in order to search for CIN features.