Table 3.
Correlates of cationic peptide concentration in cervicovaginal secretions.
| HNP1–3 Mean (SD) |
Diff. | p | LL-37 Mean (SD) |
Diff. | p | SLPI Mean (SD) |
Diff. | p | Lactoferrin Mean (SD) |
Diff. | P | HBD-2 Mean (SD) |
Diff. | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple HIV status | |||||||||||||||
| Concordant negative | 2.20 (0.75) | ref | 0.45 (0.93) | ref | 1.95 (1.01) | ref | 3.08 (0.74) | ref | 0.28 (1.20) | ref | |||||
| Discordant | 2.11 (0.86) | −0.09 | 0.46 | 0.53 (1.03) | 0.08 | 0.60 | 1.91 (0.63) | −0.04 | 0.72 | 2.57 (0.51) | −0.50 | <0.001** | −0.27 (1.33) | −0.55 | 0.005** |
| Age | – | −0.003 | 0.70 | – | −0.02 | 0.10 | – | −0.007 | 0.31 | – | −0.008 | 0.22 | – | −0.04 | 0.004** |
| Lifetime STI | |||||||||||||||
| no | 2.16 (0.80) | ref | 0.58 (0.93) | ref | 1.90 (0.79) | ref | 2.74 (0.82) | ref | −0.09 (1.34) | ref | |||||
| yes | 2.05 (0.97) | −0.11 | 0.43 | 0.36 (1.15) | −0.22 | 0.19 | 1.94 (0.68) | 0.05 | 0.71 | 2.69 (0.61) | −0.05 | 0.68 | −0.19 (1.26) | −0.10 | 0.65 |
| HSV-2 | |||||||||||||||
| negative | 2.14 (0.82) | ref | 0.53 (0.97) | ref | 1.87 (0.96) | ref | 2.73 (0.93) | ref | −0.17 (1.37) | ref | |||||
| equivocal | 2.41 (0.33) | 0.27 | 0.26 | 0.95 (0.73) | 0.42 | 0.14 | 2.00 (0.54) | 0.13 | 0.52 | 2.83 (0.62) | 0.10 | 0.62 | 0.37 (1.24) | 0.54 | 0.12 |
| positive | 2.09 (0.88) | −0.05 | 0.67 | 0.43 (1.04) | −0.10 | 0.50 | 1.92 (0.67) | 0.05 | 0.69 | 2.68 (0.69) | −0.04 | 0.72 | −0.13 (1.28) | 0.04 | 0.83 |
| Bacterial vaginosis | |||||||||||||||
| no | 2.15 (0.78) | ref | 0.51 (1.01) | ref | 1.93 (0.74) | ref | 2.66 (0.78) | ref | −0.12 (1.29) | ref | |||||
| yes | 1.91 (1.15) | −0.24 | 0.15 | 0.41 (1.05) | −0.09 | 0.64 | 1.85 (0.74) | −0.07 | 0.59 | 2.78 (0.65) | 0.11 | 0.43 | −0.35 (1.34) | −0.23 | 0.35 |
| Treatable genital infection | |||||||||||||||
| no | 2.11 (0.80) | ref | 0.49 (1.01) | ref | 1.93 (0.76) | ref | 2.63 (0.79) | ref | −0.17 (1.27) | ref | |||||
| yes | 2.06 (1.05) | −0.06 | 0.721 | 0.56 (1.05) | 0.07 | 0.686 | 1.88 (0.70) | −0.05 | 0.687 | 2.87 (0.62) | 0.24 | 0.062 | −0.02 (1.35) | 0.16 | 0.48 |
| Sex acts in past month | – | −0.006 | 0.58 | – | −0.02 | 0.12 | – | 0.02 | 0.016* | – | −0.005 | 0.61 | – | 0.03 | 0.076 |
| Any unprotected sex | |||||||||||||||
| no | 2.10 (0.86) | ref | 0.51 (1.05) | ref | 1.85 (0.71) | ref | 2.53 (0.82) | ref | −0.25 (1.30) | ref | |||||
| yes | 2.20 (0.77) | 0.10 | 0.39 | 0.50 (0.92) | −0.01 | 0.93 | 2.01 (0.83) | 0.16 | 0.12 | 3.00 (0.63) | 0.47 | <0.001** | 0.10 (1.05) | 0.35 | 0.055 |
| Vaginal washing | |||||||||||||||
| no | 2.14 (0.81) | ref | 0.50 (1.01) | ref | 1.89 (0.77) | ref | 2.74 (0.79) | ref | −0.06 (1.31) | ref | |||||
| yes | 2.11 (0.88) | −0.03 | 0.81 | 0.52 (0.98) | 0.01 | 0.94 | 1.98 (0.73) | 0.09 | 0.45 | 2.70 (0.76) | −0.07 | 0.54 | −0.24 (1.34) | −0.18 | 0.38 |
| Vaginal drying | |||||||||||||||
| no | 2.14 (0.79) | ref | 0.61 (0.91) | ref | 1.87 (0.66) | ref | 2.71 (0.91) | ref | −0.11 (1.04) | ref | |||||
| yes | 2.13 (0.87) | −0.01 | 0.90 | 0.40 (1.08) | −0.20 | 0.14 | 1.96 (0.86) | 0.08 | 0.40 | 2.73 (0.62) | 0.02 | 0.88 | −0.10 (0.99) | 0.01 | 0.97 |
| Desire additional children | |||||||||||||||
| no | 2.20 (0.73) | ref | 0.51 (1.02) | ref | 1.91 (0.76) | ref | 2.69 (0.66) | ref | −0.34 (1.32) | ref | |||||
| yes | 2.08 (0.90) | −0.11 | 0.31 | 0.51 (0.98) | 0.002 | 0.99 | 1.92 (0.77) | 0.008 | 0.94 | 2.75 (0.87) | 0.06 | 0.58 | 0.09 (1.29) | 0.43 | 0.015* |
| Partner’s viral load (log10 copies/ml) | – | 0.07 | 0.20 | – | 0.14 | 0.040* | – | −0.005 | 0.90 | – | 0.005 | 0.92 | – | 0.03 | 0.75 |
| PSA present | |||||||||||||||
| no | 2.16 (0.82) | ref | 0.53 (1.02) | ref | 1.89 (0.76) | ref | 2.68 (0.81) | ref | −0.13 (1.31) | ref | |||||
| yes | 1.94 (0.96) | −0.22 | 0.17 | 0.23 (0.99) | −0.302 | 0.11 | 2.10 (0.63) | 0.21 | 0.13 | 2.94 (0.70) | 0.26 | 0.089 | −0.10 (1.41) | 0.03 | 0.92 |
Abbreviations: HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; HSV, herpes simplex virus; PSA, prostate specific antigen; HNP1–3, human neutrophil peptides 1–3; SLPI, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor; HBD-2, human beta-defensin 2, SD, standard deviation; NA, not applicable
NOTE – Polypeptide concentrations are expressed as log10 ng/ml; Treatable genital infections included bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, syphilis, cervicitis, and vaginitis
*
p<0.05
**
p<0.01