Table 1.
Distribution of characteristics by study visit, N = 740 observations.
| Visit | Baseline, N = 218 n (%) | 1 month, N = 197 n (%) | 6 months, N = 169 n (%) | 12 months, N = 156 n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male characteristics | ||||
| Median age in years (IQR) | 26 (24–30) | 26.5 (24–30) | 27 (24–30) | 27 (24–30.75) |
| Educational attainment | ||||
| Primary or less | 92 (42.2) | 85 (43.2) | 76 (45.0) | 74 (47.4) |
| Some secondary or more | 126 (57.8) | 112 (56.9) | 93 (55.0) | 82 (52.6) |
| Currently employed | 173 (79.4) | 150 (76.1) | 124 (73.8) | 107 (69.9) |
| Circumcised | 121 (55.5) | 115 (58.4) | 98 (58.0) | 86 (56.6) |
| HIV positive | 25 (11.6) | 22 (11.3) | 21 (12.5) | 19 (12.3) |
| HSV-2 positive | 100 (46.1) | 91 (46.4) | 97 (57.4) | 94 (60.6) |
| Genital ulcer disease, past 6 months (self-reported or clinician detected) | 8 (3.8) | 3 (1.5) | 4 (2.4) | 5 (3.3) |
| Median days since last sexual intercourse (IQR) | 4 (3–8) | 4 (3–8) | 6.5 (3–8) | 8 (3–9) |
| When washed penis after last sex | ||||
| <1 h | 49 (22.5) | 48 (24.4) | 47 (28.7) | 49 (32.7) |
| 1 h or more | 169 (77.5) | 149 (75.6) | 117 (71.3) | 101 (67.3) |
| Condom used at last sexual intercourse | 36 (16.5) | 36 (18.4) | 32 (19.1) | 30 (19.6) |
| Condom frequency in the past 6 months | ||||
| Never | 134 (61.5) | 122 (61.9) | 105 (62.5) | 98 (64.1) |
| Sometimes | 69 (31.6) | 63 (32.0) | 52 (31.0) | 45 (29.4) |
| Always | 15 (6.9) | 12 (6.1) | 11 (6.5) | 10 (6.5) |
| Number of sex partners in the past 6 months | ||||
| One | 161 (74.9) | 149 (76.4) | 136 (85.0) | 112 (78.3) |
| Two or more | 54 (25.1) | 46 (23.6) | 24 (15.0) | 31 (21.7) |
| Alpha diversity metrics, median (IQR) | ||||
| Shannon diversity index | 1.86 (1.36–2.17) | 1.80 (1.43–2.22) | 1.80 (1.44–2.19) | 1.77 (1.34–2.16) |
| Simpson diversity | 0.76 (0.65–0.84) | 0.76 (0.65–0.84) | 0.76 (0.66–0.83) | 0.75 (0.59–0.83) |
| Evenness | 0.60 (0.50–0.68) | 0.60 (0.52–0.69) | 0.60 (0.48–0.68) | 0.58 (0.46–0.66) |
| Richness | 23 (16–27) | 22 (16.5–27.5) | 23 (17–28.5) | 22 (18–28) |
| Community type (CT) | ||||
| CT-1 mixed | 48 (22.0) | 51 (25.9) | 53 (31.4) | 56 (35.9) |
| CT-2 Corynebacterium dominated | 42 (19.3) | 37 (18.8) | 21 (12.4) | 26 (16.7) |
| CT-3 Streptococcus dominated | 19 (8.7) | 14 (7.1) | 12 (7.1) | 13 (8.3) |
| CT-4 Sneathia sanguinegens dominated | 33 (15.4) | 28 (14.2) | 19 (11.2) | 14 (9.0) |
| CT-5 Finegoldia/Anaerococcus dominated | 39 (17.9) | 35 (17.8) | 32 (18.9) | 24 (15.4) |
| CT-6 Lactobacillus iners dominated | 15 (6.9) | 17 (8.6) | 18 (10.6) | 9 (5.8) |
| CT-7 Clostridiales family XII dominated | 22 (10.1) | 15 (7.6) | 14 (8.3) | 14 (9.0) |
| Female partner characteristics | ||||
| Median age in years (IQR) | 22 (20–25) | 22.5 (20–25) | 23 (20–25) | 23 (20–25) |
| Bacterial vaginosis (Nugent score 7–10) | 43 (20.2) | 44 (22.5) | 41 (27.0) | 32 (26.5) |
| Documented treatment for BV | 40 (93.0) | 41 (93.0) | 39 (95.1) | 27 (84.4) |
| Vaginal discharge | 67 (31.2) | 53 (27.0) | 41 (26.8) | 33 (26.0) |
| HIV positive | 22 (10.2) | 19 (9.7) | 21 (13.2) | 19 (14.8) |
| HSV-2 positive | 121 (55.5) | 108 (54.8) | 101 (63.1) | 88 (68.2) |
| Genital ulcer disease, past 6 months (self-reported or clinician detected) | 23 (10.7) | 6 (3.1) | 7 (4.6) | 5 (3.9) |
| Community state type | ||||
| I: Lactobacillus crispatus dominated | 18 (8.5) | 22 (12.0) | 14 (9.2) | 17 (13.3) |
| II: Lactobacillus jensenii dominated | 2 (0.9) | 1 (0.5) | 2 (1.3) | 1 (0.8) |
| III: Lactobacillus iners dominated | 93 (43.7) | 80 (43.7) | 62 (40.8) | 47 (36.7) |
| IV: Gardnerella vaginalis dominated | 99 (46.5) | 79 (43.2) | 71 (46.7) | 61 (47.7) |
| V: Lactobacillus gasseri dominated | 1 (0.5) | 1 (0.5) | 3 (2.0) | 2 (1.6) |
| Pregnant (urine HCG positive) | 23 (10.7) | 24 (12.2) | 26 (16.6) | 11 (8.9) |
| Contraceptive use | ||||
| Implant | 62 (28.4) | 57 (28.9) | 50 (31.5) | 41 (32.3) |
| Injectable | 40 (18.4) | 35 (17.8) | 27 (17.8) | 28 (22.1) |
| Median (IQR) days since last menstrual period among non-pregnant women | 25 (10.5–52) | 17 (6–42) | 19.5 (7.25–42.75) | 19 (7–49.25) |
| Median (IQR) days since last menstrual period among non-pregnant women, not using hormonal contraceptives | 20 (10–36) | 15 (4–30) | 15 (6–29) | 13.5 (5.75–31.25) |
IQR, interquartile range; HSV-2, herpes simplex virus type 2; HCG, human chorionic gonadotropin; BV, bacterial vaginosis.