Carolina Sanitá Tafner Ferreira1, Gilbert Gerard Donders2,3, Cristina Maria Garcia de Lima Parada4, Andrea da Rocha Tristão5, Thaiz Fernandes6, Márcia Guimarães da Silva1, Camila Marconi1,6. 1. Department of Pathology, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil. 2. Femicare vzw, Clinical Research for Women, Gasthuismolenstraat 31, 3300, Tienen, Belgium. 3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium. 4. Department of Nursing, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil. 5. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil. 6. Department of Basic Pathology, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, UFPR - Univ Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Cervicovaginal Atopobium vaginae and Gardnerella vaginalis are strongly associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) and are the main components of vaginal biofilms. The low efficacy of BV treatment with metronidazole may be due to the presence of such biofilms. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the pretreatment cervicovaginal loads of A. vaginae and G. vaginalis for women who restored normal flora and those who persisted with BV after a full course of oral metronidazole. METHODOLOGY: In this cross-sectional study, 309 reproductive-aged women were recruited in a primary health care service in Botucatu, Brazil. Cervicovaginal samples were tested for genital tract infections, microscopic classification of local microbiota and molecular quantification of A. vaginae and G. vaginalis. RESULTS: All the participants with concurrent cervicovaginal infections (n=64) were excluded. A total of 84 out of 245 (34.3 %) women had BV at enrolment and 43 (51.2 %) of them completed the treatment and returned for follow-up. Evaluation of the vaginal microbiota at follow-up showed that 29 (67.4 %) women restored normal vaginal flora, while 14 (32.6 %) still had BV. The pretreatment loads of G. vaginalis were lower in women with treatment failure (P=0.001) compared to those who successfully restored normal flora. The loads of A. vaginae did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION: Although G. vaginalis produces several virulence factors and its loads correlate positively with those of A. vaginae, higher cervicovaginal quantities of these bacteria are not associated with treatment failure of BV after oral metronidazole.
PURPOSE: Cervicovaginal Atopobium vaginae and Gardnerella vaginalis are strongly associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) and are the main components of vaginal biofilms. The low efficacy of BV treatment with metronidazole may be due to the presence of such biofilms. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the pretreatment cervicovaginal loads of A. vaginae and G. vaginalis for women who restored normal flora and those who persisted with BV after a full course of oral metronidazole. METHODOLOGY: In this cross-sectional study, 309 reproductive-aged women were recruited in a primary health care service in Botucatu, Brazil. Cervicovaginal samples were tested for genital tract infections, microscopic classification of local microbiota and molecular quantification of A. vaginae and G. vaginalis. RESULTS: All the participants with concurrent cervicovaginal infections (n=64) were excluded. A total of 84 out of 245 (34.3 %) women had BV at enrolment and 43 (51.2 %) of them completed the treatment and returned for follow-up. Evaluation of the vaginal microbiota at follow-up showed that 29 (67.4 %) women restored normal vaginal flora, while 14 (32.6 %) still had BV. The pretreatment loads of G. vaginalis were lower in women with treatment failure (P=0.001) compared to those who successfully restored normal flora. The loads of A. vaginae did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION: Although G. vaginalis produces several virulence factors and its loads correlate positively with those of A. vaginae, higher cervicovaginal quantities of these bacteria are not associated with treatment failure of BV after oral metronidazole.
Authors: Christina Y Lee; Ryan K Cheu; Melissa M Lemke; Andrew T Gustin; Michael T France; Benjamin Hampel; Andrea R Thurman; Gustavo F Doncel; Jacques Ravel; Nichole R Klatt; Kelly B Arnold Journal: Nat Commun Date: 2020-12-01 Impact factor: 14.919
Authors: Daniel Ruiz-Perez; Makella S Coudray; Brett Colbert; Karl Krupp; Hansi Kumari; Vitalii Stebliankin; Kalai Mathee; Robert L Cook; Jane Schwebke; Giri Narasimhan; Purnima Madhivanan Journal: Access Microbiol Date: 2021-05-04