Gardnerella vaginalis clades in pregnancy: New insights into the interactions with the vaginal microbiome

Morselli, Sara; Camboni, Tania; Ceccarani, Camilla; Salvo, Melissa; Zagonari, Sara; Patuelli, Giulia; Pedna, Maria Federica; Sambri, Vittorio; Foschi, Claudio; Consolandi, Clarissa; Marangoni, Antonella

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0269590

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Th e commensal microbiota of the vagina, which is mostly represented by lactobacilli, is crucial for protection against the translocation of microbiota from other biotopes, as well as conditionally pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms that can be transmitted sexually. Th e change in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the vaginal microbiota is clinically manifested by such nosological forms of the disease as bacterial vaginosis, vaginal candidiasis, as well as vaginitis with a predominance of aerobic microorganisms that can manifest pathogenic properties [4,7]. Th e results of some studies revealed a clear link between the use of antibiotic therapy along with probiotics containing mainly lactobacilli and the restoration of the vaginal microbiota leading to a decrease in the risk of urogenital infection relapse.…”

Section: Results Th E Formation Of Bacterial Vaginitis In the Balb/c ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Action of Probiotic Composition of Bacilli on Bacterial Vaginitis in Mice

et al. 2023

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial and immunomodulatory action of a probiotic composition of Bacillus subtilis and B. megatherium strains (UnicaUro, Sirion (Ukraine)) for experimental bacterial vaginitis. Methods. Experimental studies were conducted on female BALB/c mice; we used Staphylococcus aureus strain B-918 (ATCC 6538) to induce bacterial vaginitis. The strain was vaginally introduced into mice before treatment with probiotic bacteria. In the vagina of mice, aerobic and optionally anaerobic bacteria, including representatives of the genera Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Pseudomonas, coliform bacteria, and microscopic fungi were identified in different periods of observation using generally accepted microbiological methods. Serum antibody titer to S. aureus was determined by the bacterial agglutination reaction. The phagocytic activity and oxygen-dependent bactericidal activity of peritoneal exudate macrophages (PEM) were evaluated using generally accepted immunological methods. Results. The formation of bacterial vaginitis in the BALB/c mice line infected with S. aureus B-918 (ATCC 6538) was evidenced by the appearance of external clinical manifestations of the infectious and inflammatory process against the background of the increased number of aerobic and optionally anaerobic microorganisms, including representatives of the genus Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, microscopic fungi, and decreased number of lactobacilli in different observation periods. The probiotic introduction to mice with bacterial vaginitis led to a dynamic change in the vaginal microbiota: the number of aerobic and optionally anaerobic microorganisms decreased, primarily due to the normalization of the number of representatives of Staphylococcus genus accompanied by a decrease in the antibody titer to staphylococcus in the blood serum. The effective therapeutic action of the probiotic was confirmed by the gradual disappearance of the external clinical signs of the infectious-inflammatory process in the vagina against the background of the functional activity of PEM. Conclusions. The probiotic composition of B. subtilis and B. megatherium (UnicaUro, Sirion, Ukraine) is a promising antimicrobial formulation that may be used in the treatment of bacterial vaginitis; however, further studies are required to confirm its therapeutic, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory efficacy.

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Section: Results Th E Formation Of Bacterial Vaginitis In the Balb/c ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Action of Probiotic Composition of Bacilli on Bacterial Vaginitis in Mice

et al. 2023

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“…31,71 We also found that the number of Gardnerella clades present was associated with PTB (in non-rarefied samples), and presence of multiple clades has been associated with BV. 21,70 Fewer studies have included PTB as the outcome variable than BV, and results have also been mixed. A study that included a larger sampling of the Stanford and UAB Enriched cohorts found that a V4 variant of the 16S rRNA gene which maps to clades 1 and 2 was associated with PTB in its Stanford cohort, but not its UAB cohort.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Clades 1 through 4 have been associated with BV in at least one of these studies, and clades 5 and 6 were typically not measured. 21,30,32,70 Some studies have evaluated the associations of these genomic species with BV, and have also found varying results. 31,71 We also found that the number of Gardnerella clades present was associated with PTB (in non-rarefied samples), and presence of multiple clades has been associated with BV.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GardnerellaDiversity and Ecology in Pregnancy and Preterm Birth

Berman

Goltsman

Anderson

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The vaginal microbiome has been linked to numerous negative health outcomes including preterm birth. Specific taxa, includingGardnerellaspp., have been identified as risk factors for these conditions. Historically, microbiome analysis methods have treated allGardnerellaspp. as one species, but the broad diversity ofGardnerellahas recently become more apparent. In the present study, we explore the diversity ofGardnerellaclades and genomic species in the vaginal microbiome of pregnant women and their impacts on microbiome composition and associations with preterm birth. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing data collected longitudinally from three distinct cohorts of pregnant women were assessed. Relative abundance ofGardnerellaclades and genomic species and other taxa was quantified, and associations betweenGardnerellaclades and signatures of the vaginal microbiome were measured. We also assessed the diversity and abundance ofGardnerellavariants in 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data from seven previously conducted studies in differing populations on the vaginal microbiome and preterm birth. Individual microbiomes often contained multipleGardnerellavariants, and the number of clades was associated with increased microbial load. The genusGardnerellawas also associated with increased microbial load, or the ratio of non-human reads to human reads. Taxon co-occurrence patterns matched previously described community structures, and were largely consistent acrossGardnerellaclades and among cohorts. Some variants previously described as rare were prevalent in other cohorts, highlighting the importance of surveying a diverse set of populations to fully capture the diversity ofGardnerella. The diversity ofGardnerellaboth across populations and within individual vaginal microbiomes has long been unappreciated, as has been the intra-species diversity of many other members of the vaginal microbiome.1The broad genomic diversity ofGardnerellahas led to its reclassification as multiple species; here we demonstrate the diversity ofGardnerellafound within and between vaginal microbiomes. Further studies should investigate the phenotypes ofGardnerellavariants that may underlie the mechanisms by whichGardnerellaspecies may differentially shape the vaginal microbiome.

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“…One potential way by which postpartum infections can be alienated is thorough screening of women for bacterial infection at late trimester. As an illustration, a recent study across a cohort of 61 Caucasian pregnant women at the first and third trimester of pregnancy investigated the distribution of Gardnerella vaginalis clades in the vaginal ecosystem and found a correlation between Gardnerella vaginalis clades and the whole vaginal microbiome ( 61 ). Gardnerella vaginalis is notable for been responsible for a significant number of infections in postpartum women worldwide and a leading cause of preterm birth and neonatal infection.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of short interpregnancy interval, birth mode, birth practices, and the postpartum vaginal microbiome in preterm birth

Odogwu

2023

Front. Reprod. Health

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There have been widely documented beneficial role of vaginal Lactobacillus species as an important biomarker for vaginal health and healthy pregnancy progression. When translating this to clinical settings, pregnant women with low proportions of Lactobacillus and commensurately high proportion of rich and highly diverse abnormal microbiota are most likely to encounter negative pregnancy outcome such as preterm birth and postpartum complications. However, multiple literatures have also addressed this notion that the absence of a Lactobacillus-dominated microbiota does not appear to directly imply to a diseased condition and may not be a major determinant of negative obstetric outcome. Caesarian delivery is notably a risk factor for preterm birth and postpartum endometritis, yet recent data shows a trend in the overuse of CS across several populations. Growing evidence suggest the potential role of vaginal/uterine cleaning practice during CS procedures in influencing postpartum infections, however there is a controversy that this practice is associated with increased rates of postpartum endometritis. The preponderance of bacterial vaginosis associated bacteria vagitype at postpartum which persist for a long period of time even after lochia regression in some women may suggest why short interpregnancy interval may pose a potential risk for preterm birth, especially multigravidas. While specifically linking a community of microbes in the female reproductive tract or an exact causative infectious agent to preterm birth and postpartum pathologies remains elusive, clinical attention should also be drawn to the potential contribution of other factors such as short interpregnancy interval, birth mode, birth practices and the postpartum vaginal microbiome in preterm birth which is explicitly described in this narrative review.

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Gardnerella vaginalis clades in pregnancy: New insights into the interactions with the vaginal microbiome

Cited by 15 publications

References 41 publications

Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Action of Probiotic Composition of Bacilli on Bacterial Vaginitis in Mice

Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Action of Probiotic Composition of Bacilli on Bacterial Vaginitis in Mice

GardnerellaDiversity and Ecology in Pregnancy and Preterm Birth

Role of short interpregnancy interval, birth mode, birth practices, and the postpartum vaginal microbiome in preterm birth

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