Adherent Biofilms in Bacterial Vaginosis : Obstetrics & Gynecology (original) (raw)

Original Research

Swidsinski, Alexander MD1; Mendling, Werner MD3; Loening-Baucke, Vera MD1; Ladhoff, Axel PhD2; Swidsinski, Sonja MD4; Hale, Laura P. MD, PhD5; Lochs, Herbert MD1

From the 1Medizinische Klinik, Charité, CCM, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany; 2Institut für Pathologie, Charité, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany; 3Vivantes Kliniken für Gynäkologie und Geburtsmedizin am Urban und im Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany; 4Department of Microbiology, Vivantes Hospital Neukölln, Berlin, Germany; and 5Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

Corresponding author: Alexander Swidsinski, Charité, CCM, Medizinische Klinik, 10098 Berlin, Germany; e-mail: [email protected].

OBJECTIVE:

Bacterial vaginosis is a common infectious disorder. Although known since ancient times, little progress has occurred in identifying causal factors. Our aims were to study the bacterial community structure and the spatial organization of microbiota on the epithelial surfaces of vaginal biopsy specimens.

METHODS:

We investigated the composition and spatial organization of bacteria associated with the vaginal epithelium in biopsy specimens from 20 patients with bacterial vaginosis and 40 normal premenopausal and postmenopausal controls using a broad range of fluorescent bacterial group-specific rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes.

RESULTS:

Bacterial vaginosis was associated with greater occurrence and higher concentrations of a variety of bacterial groups. However, only Gardnerella vaginalis developed a characteristic adherent biofilm that was specific for bacterial vaginosis.

CONCLUSION:

A biofilm comprised of confluent G vaginalis with other bacterial groups incorporated in the adherent layer is a prominent feature of bacterial vaginosis.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

II-2