Lactobacilli require physical contact to reduce staphylococcal TSST-1 secretion and vaginal epithelial inflammatory response

Adherence of human vaginal lactobacilli to vaginal epithelial cells and interaction with uropathogens.

Three strains of Lactobacillus, identified as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus jensenii, were selected from among 70 isolates from the vaginas of healthy premenopausal women for properties relevant to mucosal colonization or antagonism. All three self-aggregated and adhered to epithelial vaginal cells, displacing well-known vaginal pathogens, such as G. vagina...

Epithelial Proinflammatory Response and Curcumin-Mediated Protection from Staphylococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1

Staphylococcus aureus initiates infections and produces virulence factors, including superantigens (SAgs), at mucosal surfaces. The SAg, Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 (TSST-1) induces cytokine secretion from epithelial cells, antigen presenting cells (APCs) and T lymphocytes, and causes toxic shock syndrome (TSS). This study investigated the mechanism of TSST-1-induced secretion of proinflammato...

Analysis of the early response to TSST-1 reveals Vbeta-unrestricted extravasation, compartmentalization of the response, and unresponsiveness but not anergy to TSST-1.

Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) is the major cause of toxic shock syndrome and is important in the pathophysiology of staphylococcal septic shock. Our study about the biological effects of TSST-1 in the rabbit 3 and 6 h and 7 days postinjection provides evidence that TSST-1 induces leukopenia, lymphopenia, and monocytopenia as a result of extravasation of cells in a Vss-unr...

Author's response to reviews Title: Identification and characterization of vaginal lactobacilli from South African women Authors:

Contemporary perspectives on vaginal pH and lactobacilli.

Ever since the pH of the vagina was found to be much more acidic than blood and interstitial fluids, a belief going back more than a century has persisted that the vagina is protected from pathogenic organisms by the high level of hydronium ions present. A corollary of this belief is that the pH of the vagina and antipathogen activity is due to colonizing Lactobacilli. Unfortunately, this dogma...