Figure 2. Conventional CD4⁺ T cells displayed increased markers of activation and tissue residency in the cervix of individuals with BV.

Flow cytometry was used to examine Tconv cell phenotypes within different tissue sites as indicated. (A) The frequency of CCR5⁺, (B) HLA-DR⁺, and (C) CD69⁺CD103⁺ among the total Tconv T cell population in CX, VT, and PBMC samples in BV− and BV+ individuals. Adjusted rank regression analysis was performed to compare frequencies in each tissue between BV− and BV+ individuals. PBMC comparisons were a priori adjusted for hormonal contraceptive use, and CX and VT comparisons were a priori adjusted for hormonal contraceptive use, HSV-2 serology, HIV exposure, and semen exposure to reduce the effects of potential confounding variables on the analysis of BV-driven T cell alterations. Adjusted p-value displayed in bold when p ≤ 0.05, non-bold when 0.05 < p_adj ≤ 0.10, and “ns” for not significant when adjusted p > 0.10. Each dot represents a measurement from an individual sample. Each horizontal bar indicates the median for its respective group. For each comparison, the Ns, medians, p-values (adjusted and unadjusted), and estimated differences (adjusted and unadjusted) are provided in Supplemental Table 1.