BV-like phenotypes of the model include:

2) mucus degradation (higher free & lower total sialic acid) {JBC13} (Fig XB-C);

3) epithelial exfoliation response (# epithelial cells in vaginal specimens) (Fig XD);

4) ‘clue-like’ cells in vaginal washes; and

5) bacterial-epithelial interaction in H&E-stained vaginal tissue sections (Fig XE).