CXCL8 and infection: Specifically, colonization and infection of the vaginal tract by A. vaginae and other pathogenic bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis are characterized by triggering an intense inflammatory response with the liberation of interleukins IL-6 and IL-8, which is not elicited by the microbiota of healthy individuals, and that is essential for the pathogenesis (Fichorova et al., 2011; Doerflinger et al., 2014).