Gardnerella vaginalis is the most common species found in bacterial vaginosis (BV). However, it is also present in a significant proportion of healthy women and G. vaginalis vaginal colonization does not always lead to BV. In an effort to better understand the differences between G. vaginalis isolated from women with a positive (BV) versus a negative (non-BV) diagnosis of BV, we compared the vi...

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...

A new differential medium for isolation of Corynebacterium vaginale is described. This opaque medium containing 1% corn starch allows detection of C. vaginale by the zones of clearing developing around the colonies.

Variables affecting the adherence of Gardnerella vaginalis to human vaginal epithelial cells were examined in vitro. Adherence depended on pH, with maximum attachment occurring between pH 5 and pH 6. Preincubation of the bacteria at 56 degrees C for 30 minutes and ultraviolet irradiation resulted in a noticeable decrease in adherence. In contrast, adherence was not altered by preincubating the ...

Gardnerella vaginalis was isolated from 22 (38%) of 58 semen samples obtained from men attending an infertility clinic. Counts ranged from 1.2 X 10(3) to greater than 10(7) colony forming units (cfu)/ml. There was no association between the isolation of G vaginalis and the sperm count. Twenty (34.4%) samples contained non-sporing anaerobes and nine (15.5%) both anaerobes and G vaginalis. The in...

We investigated the effects of glycerol monolaurate (GML) on Lactobacillus, Candida, and Gardnerella vaginalis human vaginal microflora. Our previous work demonstrated that 6 months of GML treatment vaginally does not alter lactobacillus counts in monkeys. Candida and G. vaginalis are commonly associated with vaginal infections in women, many becoming chronic or recurrent. In vitro growth inhib...

We report the draft genome sequence of a Gardnerella vaginalis strain (3549624) isolated from a vaginal specimen. G. vaginalis is associated with bacterial vaginosis, the most common cause of vaginal discharge, which is often treated with metronidazole. This isolate is highly resistant to metronidazole (MIC, 500 µg/ml) and may be useful for comparative genomic studies to determine the molecular...

BACKGROUND Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the leading causes of vaginal complaints among women of childbearing age. The role of Gardnerella vaginalis remains controversial due to its presence in healthy and BV-type vaginal microflora. The phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity of G. vaginalis suggested the existence of strain variants linked with different health conditions. We sought to an...

OBJECTIVES Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is characterised by a change in the microbial composition of the vagina. The BV-associated organisms outnumber the health-associated Lactobacillus species and form a polymicrobial biofilm on the vaginal epithelium, possibly explaining the difficulties with antibiotic treatment. A better understanding of vaginal biofilm with emphasis on Atopobium vaginae and G...