In addition to being a passage for sperm, menstruum, and the baby, the human vagina and
its microbiota can influence conception, pregnancy, the mode and timing of delivery, and the …

Vaginal eubiosis is characterised by beneficial lactobacillus-dominated microbiota. In
contrast, vaginal dysbiosis (eg bacterial vaginosis, BV), characterised by an overgrowth of …

About 8% of our genome is composed of sequences with viral origin, namely human
Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs). HERVs are relics of ancient infections that affected the …

Background Women with a cervicovaginal microbiota dominated by Lactobacillus spp. are at
reduced risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections including HIV, but the biological …

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are powerful molecular regulators by which the immune system
may “sense” the environment and protect the host from pathogens or endogenous threats. In …

During acute HIV-1 infection, viral pathogen-associated molecular patterns are recognized
by pathogen-recognition receptors (PRRs) of infected cells, which triggers a signaling …

Inflammation in the female reproductive tract (FRT) is associated with increased HIV
transmission. Lactobacillus spp. dominate the vaginal microbiota of many women and their …

Virus invasion activates the host's innate immune response, inducing the production of
numerous cytokines and interferons to eliminate pathogens. Except for viral DNA/RNA, viral …

The role of sex hormones in regulating immune responses in the female genital tract has
been recognized for decades. More recently, it has become increasingly clear that sex …

The human genome comprises 8% endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), the majority of which
are defective due to deleterious mutations. Nonetheless, transcripts of ERVs are found in …