Microbial flora of the vagina and cervix.

Abstract

SUMMARY The microbial flora of the vagina and cervix was assessed qualitatively and semiquantitatively in 40 women attending an intrauterine contraceptive device clinic. Both sites harboured many types of microorganism, the mean number of microbial types isolated being five from the vagina and four from the cervix. Typical lactobacilli were detected in 61 % of vaginal and in 53 % of cervical specimens; faecal bacteria, including anaerobes, were even more frequently found at both sites. No differences in the microbial populations at either the vagina or the cervix were detected after fitting of the devices, in the different weeks of the menstrual cycle, or with various previously used contraceptive methods.The received impression of the microbial flora of the female lower genital tract is of predominant lactobacilli with occasional colonisation by skin and faecal organisms (Wilson and Miles, 1975). Recent papers have challenged this view by showing a diverse collection of organisms at this site, but there is much still to be elucidated about the microbial ecology of this region and the factors affecting it.The present investigation of 40 women attending an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) clinic was undertaken to assess the vaginal and cervical flora in this sexually active group and to determine the effect of various influences-the fitting of the device itself, and factors such as the stage of the menstrual cycle, and previous contraceptive practice. Material and methods PATIENTSOf the 40 patients who attended for IUCD fitting, 30 returned for the first follow-up appointment, usually four weeks later, so that 70 sets ofvaginal and cervical swabs were taken for culture. The women were asked about previous contraceptive practice and drug history, and relevant clinical details were noted. The age range of the patients was 19 to 40 years, the mean age being 25 5 years.

Bacteriological Study of the Cervix of Females Suffering from Unexplained Infertility

“…Gram positive microorganisms were found to be significantly higher in number than the Gram negative organisms (Figure 1). Amongst the various isolates, Staphylococcus (51.85%) was the predominant organism present followed by Micrococcus (18.52%), Streptococcus (11.11%), E. coli (7.41%), Bacillus (7.41%) and Pseudomonas (3.70%) ( Table 1) These results are in accordance to the earlier studies (Corbishley, 1977) where high prevalence of Staphylococcus (90%) in cervical isolates has been reported. When the effect of 24 and 48h old culture of cervical isolates on motility of human spermatozoa was studied, it was observed that after 24h, 17 out of 27 isolates (63%) significantly decreased the motility of spermatozoa, whereas rest of the isolates failed to do so.…”

Adherence of clinically isolated lactobacilli to human cervical cells in competition with Neisseria gonorrhoeae

“…Initial interaction between bacteria and the host epithelial cell surface is critical and determines if the pathogen will successfully colonise the mucosa or be flushed away by the continuous flow of fluid. At the same time, billions of lactobacilli colonise the vaginal mucosa and the cervix [8,9]. It is well known that the presence of lactobacilli is an important factor during pathogenic infections, since a decrease in the amount of lactobacilli enhances the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases [32,33].…”

“…Lactobacilli can also colonise the human cervix. Between 29 and 52% of tested women are colonised with lactobacilli in the cervix, and within a single individual, usually the same Lactobacillus strains colonise the vaginal tract [8,9]. Several factors contribute to lactobacilli adherence to epithelial cells.…”

The Disease Spectrum, Epidemiology, and Etiology of Toxic-Shock Syndrome

“…Depending on the study, S. aureus has been isolated from cervical or vaginal cultures of between 0-17% of well nonmenstruating women. Whereas in most studies tht: colonization rate was less than 5% (6,25,71), higher figures of 17% were obtained from positive cervical cultures from 9 of 52 women during menses (17%) (82) and 14 of 81 postpartum women (17%) (48). Thus, cervico-vaginal S. aureus colonization appears to be highest during menses and the postpartum period.…”