Spectrum of Lactobacillus species present in healthy vagina of Indian women.
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Date
2009-06
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Abstract
Background & objectives: Lactobacilli are depleted in vagina of women suffering from recurring episodes
of bacterial vaginosis with vaginal pH >5. With the objective of making available probiotic lactobacilli
for replenishment in such women, a study was undertaken to isolate and characterize the Lactobacilli
present in women with eco-healthy vagina in Delhi. No information is so far available on the species of
Lactobacilli resident in vagina of women in India.
Methods: Vaginal swabs were taken from 80 women with informed consent after ethical approval and
grown in MRS broth. Gram-positive, catalase-negative bacilli generating about 200 bp amplicon by
PCR with Lactobacillus genus specifi c primers were further characterized by employing species specifi c
primers followed by sequencing of 16S rDNA. Isolates of the same species were differentiated by random
amplifi ed polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profi les.
Results: The predominant species isolated were L. reuteri present in 26 (32.5%) women, L. fermentum in
20 (25%), and L. salivarius in 13 (16.25%) women. Sequencing of 16S rDNA of 20 isolates showed that
except for two isolates of L. plantarum, sequences of the remaining agreed well with PCR identifi cation.
None of the isolates had similar RAPD profi le.
Interpretation & conclusions: Our fi ndings showed lactobacilli species present in healthy vagina of women
in India differ from those reported from other countries. This information would be useful to development
of probiotic tablets seeking to replenish the missing lactobacilli for reproductive health of women in India.
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Keywords
Bacterial vaginosis, Lactobacillus, PCR, RAPD, 16S rDNA sequencing, variable strains
Citation
Garg Kavita Bansal, Ganguli Indrani, Das Ram, Talwar G P. Spectrum of Lactobacillus species present in healthy vagina of Indian women. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2009 June; 129(6): 652-657.