Gardnerella vaginalis: characteristics, clinical considerations, and controversies.

Gardnerella vaginalis: characteristics, clinical considerations, and controversies.

The clinical significance, Gram stain reaction, and genus affiliation of Gardnerella vaginalis have been controversial since Gardner and Dukes described the organism as the cause of "nonspecific vaginitis," a common disease of women which is now called bacterial vaginosis. The organism was named G. vaginalis when taxonomic studies showed that it was unrelated to bacteria in various genera inclu...

Biotypes of Gardnerella vaginalis.

A simple and reproducible scheme for identifying biotypes of Gardnerella vaginalis has been developed, based on reactions for lipase, hippurate hydrolysis, and beta-galactosidase. Among a total of 359 strains tested, eight biotypes were observed, the most common ones being types 1 (beta-galactosidase positive, lipase positive, hippurate positive), 2 (beta-galactosidase negative, lipase positive...

[Sexual transmission of Gardnerella vaginalis].

Male carriage of Gardnerella vaginalis.

The prevalence of Gardnerella vaginalis in the urethra of 430 men attending a clinic for sexually transmitted disease was 11·4%; it was significantly higher in heterosexuals (14·5%) than in homosexuals (4·5%). There was no evidence of rectal or subpreputial carriage of G vaginalis, and urethral carriage was not associated with symptoms of urethritis.

Identification of Gardnerella (Haemophilus) vaginalis.

Different tests for the identification of Gardnerella (Haemophilus) vaginalis and for its differentiation from catalase-negative unclassified coryneforms from the vagina were evaluated on over 200 bacterial strains, with special emphasis on optimal test conditions. A presumptive identification of G. vaginalis in the clinical laboratory can be made on the basis of colonial morphology, clear beta...