OBJECTIVE Gardnerella vaginalis has long been the most common pathogen associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV). We aimed to test our hypothesis that symptoms and signs of BV do not necessarily indicate colonization by this organism, and often will not respond to standard metronidazole or clindamycin treatment. METHODS Using a relatively new molecular tool, PCR denaturing gradient gel electro...

Some previous studies have identified bacteria in semen as being a potential factor in male infertility. However, only few types of bacteria were taken into consideration while using PCR-based or culturing methods. Here we present an analysis approach using next-generation sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis to investigate the associations between bacterial communities and semen q...

OBJECTIVES To give an overview of the literature on balanitis, with a special emphasis on infective causes. METHOD A data search was performed using the OVID CD plus Medline 1967-1995, using balanitis and balanoposthitis as textword search strategy. Specific subjects such as anaerobic infection, Zoon's balanitis were sought separately and subgroups combined. Original articles and abstracts we...

ing from the total binding. To determine the degree of ligand depletion, aliquots were withdrawn from the supernatant in each well and counted by liquid scintillation. The experimental set-up is depicted in Figure 1. hHBP binds 3H-LPS in a saturable manner (Figure 2). By using scientific software, curvefits to the data were performed. The apparent Kd was determined to be 90 ± 5 ng/mL and the Bm...

With respect to paragraph 6 of Dr. L0vborg's letter, the solid phase was blocked with BSA and Tween as described. The assessment of the plates did not occur in only a few experiments. We worked with the Nunc plates using the complete ELISA procedure as described for many months before evaluating other types of plates. Finally, the view held by Dr. L0vborg in paragraph 3 that detergent is a weak...

Lactobacillus species maintain the vaginal ecosystem in a healthy condition by production of antimicrobial substances. Depletion of lactobacilli in the vagina results in bacterial vaginosis (BV), where the normal flora is replaced by several bacterial pathogens, usually Gardnerella vaginalis and obligate anaerobes. BV may cause complications such as premature labor, low birth weight and increas...

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common gynecological infection in the United States. Diagnosis based on Amsel's criteria can be challenging and can be aided by laboratory-based testing. A standard method for diagnosis in research studies is enumeration of bacterial morphotypes of a Gram-stained vaginal smear (i.e., Nugent scoring). However, this technique is subjective, requires specialize...

Objective. The purpose of this study was to (i) determine the cervical microbial composition in different abortion samples and to (ii) investigate the correlation between spontaneous abortion and cervical microbes in Korean women. Methods. We collected cervical swabs from women who had never undergone abortion (N = 36), had spontaneous abortion (N = 23), and had undergone induced abortion (N = ...

TO THE EDITOR—Schwebke et al [1] present a conceptual model arguing the case for Gardnerella vaginalis as the primary etiological agent of bacterial vaginosis (BV). The model posits that G. vaginalis is a sexually acquired pathogen that elicits BV via the establishment of a bacterial biofilm on the vaginal epithelium, aided by synergistic associations with vaginal anaerobes and competitive inte...

The bacterial biota of the human vagina can have a profound impact on the health of women and their neonates. Changes in the vaginal microbiota have been associated with several adverse health outcomes including premature birth, pelvic inflammatory disease, and acquisition of HIV infection. Cultivation-independent molecular methods have provided new insights regarding bacterial diversity in thi...