Longitudinal qPCR Study of the Dynamics of L. crispatus, L. iners, A. vaginae, (Sialidase Positive) G. vaginalis, and P. bivia in the Vagina

Santiago, Guido Lopes dos Santos; Tency, Inge; Verstraelen, Hans; Verhelst, Rita; Trog, Marijke; Temmerman, Marleen; Vancoillie, Leen; Decat, Ellen; Cools, Piet; Vaneechoutte, Mario

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045281

Cited by 86 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…L. iners also resisted the displacement induced by both G. vaginalis in higher extent that L. crispatus , suggesting that L. iners is more adaptable to cohabitate with BV associated G. vaginalis strains. Previously, the detection of L. iners in women with and recovering from BV has led to the suggestion that this lactobacilli species was not protective against disease 27-29. Our results suggest that L. iners can enhance specific strains of G. vaginalis and could be potentially capable to facilitate the development of BV.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 60%

Reciprocal Interference between Lactobacillus spp. and Gardnerella vaginalis on Initial Adherence to Epithelial Cells

Castro¹,

Henriques²,

Machado³

et al. 2013

Int. J. Med. Sci.

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Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal disorder in women of child-bearing age. It is widely accepted that the microbial switch from normal microflora to the flora commonly associated with BV is characterized by a decrease in vaginal colonization by specific Lactobacillus species together with an increase of G. vaginalis and other anaerobes. However, the order of events leading to the development of BV remains poorly characterized and it is unclear whether the decrease in lactobacilli is a cause or a consequence of the increase in the population density of anaerobes. Our goal was to characterize the interaction between two Gardnerella vaginalis strains, one of which was isolated from a healthy woman (strain 5-1) and the other from a woman diagnosed with BV (strain 101), and vaginal lactobacilli on the adherence to cervical epithelial cells. In order to simulate the transition from vaginal health to BV, the lactobacilli were cultured with the epithelial cells first, and then the G. vaginalis strain was introduced. We quantified the inhibition of G. vaginalis adherence by the lactobacilli and displacement of adherent lactobacilli by G. vaginalis. Our results confirmed that pathogenic G vaginalis 101 had a higher capacity for adhesion to the cervical epithelial cells than strain 5-1. Interestingly, strain 101 displaced L. crispatus but not L. iners whereas strain 5-1 had less of an effect and did not affect the two species differently. Furthermore, L. iners actually enhanced adhesion of strain 101 but not of strain 5-1. These results suggest that BV-causing G. vaginalis and L. iners do not interfere with one another, which may help to explain previous reports that women who are colonized with L. iners are more likely to develop BV.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 60%

Reciprocal Interference between Lactobacillus spp. and Gardnerella vaginalis on Initial Adherence to Epithelial Cells

Castro¹,

Henriques²,

Machado³

et al. 2013

Int. J. Med. Sci.

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“…Studies also consistently suggest that menses is the largest disturbing factor during the menstrual cycle, with sometimes large reductions in lactobacilli [38], [59], [62], [63], shifts from L. crispatus to L. iners [38], [70], or the appearance of BV-associated bacteria, streptococci or other Gram-positive cocci [54], [70]. Pregnancy, which is also accompanied by high estradiol levels, is associated with high levels of lactobacilli, particularly L. crispatus , and low bacterial diversity [55], [68].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Two important areas of consensus emerged. First, almost all women carry vaginal lactobacilli regardless of their BV status by Nugent or Amsel criteria [19], [20], [22], [23], [25], [26], [33], [37]–[42], [45], [47], [48], [54], [59], [60], [62], [63], [73], [76], [80] but L. crispatus is predominantly found in BV-negative women [20], [22], [23], [25], [32], [33], [37], [38], [40], [42], [48], [50], [54], [59], [60], [62], [63], [65], [73], [75], [76], [80] whereas L. iners (and to a lesser extent L. gasseri ) is also found in women with intermediate microbiota or BV [21], [23], [25], [33], [37], [38], [40]–[42], [47], [50], [54], [59], [60], [62], [63], [65], [73], [76], …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vaginal Microbiota: What Have We Learned after a Decade of Molecular Characterization?

et al. 2014

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We conducted a systematic review of the Medline database (U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, U.S.A) to determine if consistent molecular vaginal microbiota (VMB) composition patterns can be discerned after a decade of molecular testing, and to evaluate demographic, behavioral and clinical determinants of VMB compositions. Studies were eligible when published between 1 January 2008 and 15 November 2013, and if at least one molecular technique (sequencing, PCR, DNA fingerprinting, or DNA hybridization) was used to characterize the VMB. Sixty three eligible studies were identified. These studies have now conclusively shown that lactobacilli-dominated VMB are associated with a healthy vaginal micro-environment and that bacterial vaginosis (BV) is best described as a polybacterial dysbiosis. The extent of dysbiosis correlates well with Nugent score and vaginal pH but not with the other Amsel criteria. Lactobacillus crispatus is more beneficial than L. iners. Longitudinal studies have shown that a L. crispatus-dominated VMB is more likely to shift to a L. iners-dominated or mixed lactobacilli VMB than to full dysbiosis. Data on VMB determinants are scarce and inconsistent, but dysbiosis is consistently associated with HIV, human papillomavirus (HPV), and Trichomonas vaginalis infection. In contrast, vaginal colonization with Candida spp. is more common in women with a lactobacilli-dominated VMB than in women with dysbiosis. Cervicovaginal mucosal immune responses to molecular VMB compositions have not yet been properly characterized. Molecular techniques have now become more affordable, and we make a case for incorporating them into larger epidemiological studies to address knowledge gaps in etiology and pathogenesis of dysbiosis, associations of different dysbiotic states with clinical outcomes, and to evaluate interventions aimed at restoring and maintaining a lactobacilli-dominated VMB.

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“…In this study, L. crispatus showed good inhibition activity on hyphal formation ( Figures 4 , 5 ). Longitudinal studies have also shown that the presence of L. crispatus promoted stability of the vaginal microbiota toward a healthy status (Verstraelen et al, 2009; Santiago et al, 2012). Our findings of L. crispatus strains with generally high inhibition activities on Candida growth and yeast-to-hyphae transition is very attractive.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial Compounds Produced by Vaginal Lactobacillus crispatus Are Able to Strongly Inhibit Candida albicans Growth, Hyphal Formation and Regulate Virulence-related Gene Expressions

et al. 2017

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The female vaginal environment contains diverse microorganisms, and their interactions play significant roles in health and disease. Lactobacillus species are the predominant vaginal microorganisms in healthy women and relevant as a barrier to defense against pathogens, including Candida albicans. The yeast-to-hyphae transition is believed to be a determinant of C. albicans pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the effects of vaginal isolates of L. crispatus (seven strains), L. gasseri (six strains), and L. jensenii (five strains) on growth, hyphal formation and virulence-related genes expression of C. albicans ATCC 10231. We found that the L. crispatus showed the most significant antimicrobial activities in microplate-based liquid medium assay (P < 0.05). All seven cell-free supernatants (CFS) from L. crispatus strains reduced the growth of C. albicans by >60%. The effects might be due to their productions of some secretory antimicrobial compounds in addition to H2O2 and organic acids. Furthermore, each of the CFS of Lactobacillus strains was found to significantly suppress the yeast-to-hyphae transition of C. albicans under hyphae-inducing conditions (RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum). The hyphae inhibition rates of C. albicans treated by CFS from L. crispatus, L. gasseri, and L. jensenii were 88.3 ± 3.02%, 84.9 ± 6.0%, and 81.9 ± 6.2%, respectively. Moreover, the expression of hyphae-specific genes (ALS3, HWP1, ECE1, EAP1, and SAP5) and transcriptional regulatory genes (EFG1, TEC1, and NRG1) were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. The results demonstrated that L. crispatus CFS significantly down-regulated the expression of hyphae-specific genes ALS3 (0.140-fold)), HWP1 (0.075-fold), and ECE1 (0.045-fold), while up-regulated the expression of the negative transcriptional regulator gene NRG1 with 1.911-fold. The antimicrobial compounds from L. crispatus B145 against Candida growth were heat stable and protease resistance, but those against hyphal formation were partially sensitive to the same treatments. Our novel findings suggest that L. crispatus, a dominant Lactobacillus species associated with a healthy vagina, could strongly inhibit C. albicans growth and hyphal formation. L. crispatus might repress the expression of hyphae-specific genes (ALS3, HWP1, and ECE1) in a NRG1-dependent manner. Besides, L. crispatus B145 is highly worthwhile for probiotic investigation.

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Longitudinal qPCR Study of the Dynamics of L. crispatus, L. iners, A. vaginae, (Sialidase Positive) G. vaginalis, and P. bivia in the Vagina

Cited by 86 publications

References 58 publications

Reciprocal Interference between Lactobacillus spp. and Gardnerella vaginalis on Initial Adherence to Epithelial Cells

Reciprocal Interference between Lactobacillus spp. and Gardnerella vaginalis on Initial Adherence to Epithelial Cells

The Vaginal Microbiota: What Have We Learned after a Decade of Molecular Characterization?

Antimicrobial Compounds Produced by Vaginal Lactobacillus crispatus Are Able to Strongly Inhibit Candida albicans Growth, Hyphal Formation and Regulate Virulence-related Gene Expressions

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