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PloS One 2012Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most commonly treated female reproductive tract affliction, characterized by the displacement of healthy lactobacilli by an overgrowth of... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most commonly treated female reproductive tract affliction, characterized by the displacement of healthy lactobacilli by an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. BV can contribute to pathogenic inflammation, preterm birth, and susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections. As the bacteria responsible for BV pathogenicity and their interactions with host immunity are not understood, we sought to evaluate the effects of BV-associated bacteria on reproductive epithelia. Here we have characterized the interaction between BV-associated bacteria and the female reproductive tract by measuring cytokine and defensin induction in three types of FRT epithelial cells following bacterial inoculation. Four BV-associated bacteria were evaluated alongside six lactobacilli for a comparative assessment. While responses differed between epithelial cell types, our model showed good agreement with clinical BV trends. We observed a distinct cytokine and human β-defensin 2 response to BV-associated bacteria, especially Atopobium vaginae, compared to most lactobacilli. One lactobacillus species, Lactobacillus vaginalis, induced an immune response similar to that elicited by BV-associated bacteria, stimulating significantly higher levels of cytokines and human β-defensin 2 than other lactobacilli. These data provide an important prioritization of BV-associated bacteria and support further characterization of reproductive bacteria and their interactions with host epithelia. Additionally, they demonstrate the distinct immune response potentials of epithelial cells from different locations along the female reproductive tract.
Topics: Actinobacteria; Analysis of Variance; Coculture Techniques; Cytokines; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epithelial Cells; Female; Genitalia, Female; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Lactobacillus; Lymphocytes; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Vaginosis, Bacterial; beta-Defensins
PubMed: 23166828
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050106 -
Microbiome Feb 2014This study was undertaken to characterize the vaginal microbiota throughout normal human pregnancy using sequence-based techniques. We compared the vaginal microbial...
BACKGROUND
This study was undertaken to characterize the vaginal microbiota throughout normal human pregnancy using sequence-based techniques. We compared the vaginal microbial composition of non-pregnant patients with a group of pregnant women who delivered at term.
RESULTS
A retrospective case-control longitudinal study was designed and included non-pregnant women (n = 32) and pregnant women who delivered at term (38 to 42 weeks) without complications (n = 22). Serial samples of vaginal fluid were collected from both non-pregnant and pregnant patients. A 16S rRNA gene sequence-based survey was conducted using pyrosequencing to characterize the structure and stability of the vaginal microbiota. Linear mixed effects models and generalized estimating equations were used to identify the phylotypes whose relative abundance was different between the two study groups. The vaginal microbiota of normal pregnant women was different from that of non-pregnant women (higher abundance of Lactobacillus vaginalis, L. crispatus, L. gasseri and L. jensenii and lower abundance of 22 other phylotypes in pregnant women). Bacterial community state type (CST) IV-B or CST IV-A characterized by high relative abundance of species of genus Atopobium as well as the presence of Prevotella, Sneathia, Gardnerella, Ruminococcaceae, Parvimonas, Mobiluncus and other taxa previously shown to be associated with bacterial vaginosis were less frequent in normal pregnancy. The stability of the vaginal microbiota of pregnant women was higher than that of non-pregnant women; however, during normal pregnancy, bacterial communities shift almost exclusively from one CST dominated by Lactobacillus spp. to another CST dominated by Lactobacillus spp.
CONCLUSION
We report the first longitudinal study of the vaginal microbiota in normal pregnancy. Differences in the composition and stability of the microbial community between pregnant and non-pregnant women were observed. Lactobacillus spp. were the predominant members of the microbial community in normal pregnancy. These results can serve as the basis to study the relationship between the vaginal microbiome and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
PubMed: 24484853
DOI: 10.1186/2049-2618-2-4 -
Clinical and Vaccine Immunology : CVI May 2015Data on immune mediators in the genital tract and the factors that modulate them in sub-Saharan women are limited. Cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) samples from 430 sexually...
Cross-Sectional Analysis of Selected Genital Tract Immunological Markers and Molecular Vaginal Microbiota in Sub-Saharan African Women, with Relevance to HIV Risk and Prevention.
Data on immune mediators in the genital tract and the factors that modulate them in sub-Saharan women are limited. Cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) samples from 430 sexually active women from Kenya, South Africa, and Rwanda were analyzed for 12 soluble immune mediators using Bio-Plex and Meso Scale Discovery multiplex platforms, as well as single enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Ten bacterial species were quantified in vaginal swab samples. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) was defined by Nugent scoring. CVL samples from HIV-infected women showed a clear-cut proinflammatory profile. Pregnant women, adolescents, and women engaging in traditional vaginal practices differed in specific soluble markers compared to reference groups of adult HIV-negative women. Cervical mucus, cervical ectopy, abnormal vaginal discharge, and having multiple sex partners were each associated with an increase in inflammatory mediators. The levels of interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12(p70), and IL-8 were elevated, whereas the IL-1RA/IL-1(α+β) ratio decreased in women with BV. The level of gamma interferon-induced protein 10 was lower in BV-positive than in BV-negative women, suggesting its suppression as a potential immune evasion mechanism by BV-associated bacteria. Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus vaginalis were associated with decreased proinflammatory cytokines and each BV-associated species with increased proinflammatory cytokines. Remarkably, the in vitro anti-HIV activity of CVL samples from BV-positive women was stronger than that of BV-negative women. In conclusion, we found significant associations of factors, including vaginal microbiota, which can influence immune mediators in the vaginal environment in sexually active women. These factors need to be considered when establishing normative levels or pathogenic cutoffs of biomarkers of inflammation and associated risks in African women.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Biomarkers; Chemokine CXCL10; Cross-Sectional Studies; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; HIV Infections; HIV-1; Humans; Inflammation Mediators; Interleukins; Kenya; Lactobacillus; Microbiota; Pregnancy; Rwanda; South Africa; Vagina; Vaginal Douching; Vaginosis, Bacterial; Young Adult
PubMed: 25761460
DOI: 10.1128/CVI.00762-14 -
Caries Research 2007For nearly a century, lactobacilli (LB) in the oral cavity have been generally associated with dental caries. Here, we characterized the LB isolated from the saliva of 6...
For nearly a century, lactobacilli (LB) in the oral cavity have been generally associated with dental caries. Here, we characterized the LB isolated from the saliva of 6 women with active caries using genetic-based taxonomical identification methods. From each subject, 30 isolates growing on Rogosa medium and presumed to be LB were analyzed. Of the 180 isolates, 176 were further characterized by biotyping, DNA melting points, DNA chromosomal fingerprinting, genotyping, and phylogenetic cluster assessment. We found a total of 30 unique genotypes of LB in the saliva of caries-active women, with each woman harboring between 2 and 8 distinct genotypes. Although Lactobacillus vaginalis, L. fermentum, and L. salivarius were found in 4 of 6 of the subjects, results from other studies using comparable methods show an entirely different array of LB associated with caries. These collective observations lead us to surmise that LB associated with dental caries are likely exogenous and opportunistic colonizers, arising from food or other reservoirs outside the oral cavity.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; DNA Fingerprinting; DNA, Bacterial; Dental Caries; Female; Humans; Lactobacillus; Mouth; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Phenotype; Saliva
PubMed: 17167253
DOI: 10.1159/000096099