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+--- Thread: Why COVID-19 affects men & women differently? + Oral sex can spur bacterial vaginosis (/thread-8990.html)
Why COVID-19 affects men & women differently? + Oral sex can spur bacterial vaginosis - C C - Aug 27, 2020
Oral sex can trigger bacterial vaginosis
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200826/Oral-sex-can-trigger-bacterial-vaginosis.aspx
EXCERPT: A new study published in the journal PLOS Biology has revealed diverse microbial populations can facilitate vaginal colonization of pathogens, which in turn can prolong the characteristics of bacterial vaginosis, a condition characterized by an imbalance of vaginal microbiome. The study findings also provide evidence linking oral sex with bacterial vaginosis.
[...] Because F. nucleatum is present predominantly in the mouth, it is generally considered that women acquire this bacterium in the vagina via oral sex. Moreover, oral sex contact is known to be a potential risk factor for bacterial vaginosis.
The current study findings indicate that vaginal exposure to F. nucleatum increases the growth of Gardnerella vaginalis, even if very low numbers of F. nucleatum are introduced. According to the researchers, oral sex can increase the chance of mouth-to-vaginal transmission of the bacterial population that can subsequently facilitate the maintenance of vaginal dysbiosis... (MORE - details)
Scientists may have identified why COVID-19 affects men & women so differently
https://www.sciencealert.com/different-immune-responses-could-explain-why-covid-19-kills-more-men
EXCERPTS: A new study published in the journal Nature noted that globally men account for about 60 percent of deaths from COVID-19 and looked at whether differences in immune responses could explain why. [...] Researchers found that women mounted a more robust immune response involving T lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell that can recognize viruses and eliminate them. This was the case even among older women, the study found. In contrast, older men had weaker T cell activity – the older they were, the weaker the response.
Overall men also produced more cytokines, which are inflammatory proteins that form another part of the body's natural immune defence. However, severe cases of COVID-19 have been linked to what is known as a "cytokine storm", when the immune system goes into overdrive, which is harmful and potentially deadly. Men who showed high concentrations early on were more likely to have a severe case of the disease, while those women who also showed significant cytokine levels also appeared to fare worse, the study found.
According to the authors, this could imply that men and women need different treatments... (MORE - details)