Researchers from Monash University and The Alfred have been awarded Australia’s most prestigious scientific award for their discovery that bacterial vaginosis (BV), which affects one in four women worldwide, is sexually transmitted.
The Women’s Microbiome Innovation Group was last night awarded the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research for challenging the prevailing dogma that BV is simply an imbalance of vaginal bacteria and proving it is sexually transmissible.
The award is one of several categories in the Australian Museum’s 2026 Eureka Prizes, an annual recognition of excellence across research and innovation, leadership, science engagement, and school science.
Monash and The Alfred’s StepUp trial, completed in 2025 by Professor Catriona Bradshaw, Dr Lenka Vodstrcil and Dr Erica Plummer and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed treating male partners reduces BV recurrence in women by more than 60 per cent, a finding that has reshaped international thinking on the condition.
Partner treatment is transforming clinical practice for BV, an infection associated with serious reproductive complications such as preterm birth and miscarriage.
Professor Bradshaw said she and her team are now focused on the next steps.
“We are now looking at the male genital microbiome to figure out how we can prevent women from acquiring BV in the first place,” Professor Bradshaw said.
“We’re also studying the small group of women who weren't cured by partner treatment, aiming to develop more targeted and effective treatment options for them.”
Dr Plummer said a better understanding of the vaginal and penile microbiomes could reshape future sexual and reproductive health.
“Our findings have already demonstrated that male partners play a critical role in recurrence, fundamentally changing how clinicians approach treatment,” Dr Plummer said.
Dr Vodstrcil said that the team’s work has shown that male partner treatment is highly acceptable and cost-effective in the Australian healthcare setting, supporting changes to national guidelines.
“Our trial proved that male partners are key to improving BV cure, and this strategy is transforming global practice and policy, “ Dr Vodstrcil said.
Find out more about the StepUp Trial: https://www.mshc.org.au/research/research-studies/stepup-study
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