Dietary supplementation with probiotics during late pregnancy: outcome on vaginal microbiota and cytokine secretion.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The vaginal microbiota of healthy women consists of a wide variety of anaerobic and aerobic bacterial genera and species dominated by the genus Lactobacillus. The activity of lactobacilli helps to maintain the natural healthy balance of the vaginal microbiota. This role is particularly important during pregnancy because vaginal dismicrobism is one of the most important mechanisms for preterm birth and perinatal complications. In the present study, we characterized the impact of a dietary supplementation with the probiotic VSL#3, a mixture of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus strains, on the vaginal microbiota and immunological profiles of healthy women during late pregnancy.

Results

An association between the oral intake of the probiotic VSL#3 and c

SUBMITTER: Vitali B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3493352 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature