Gardnerella vaginalis and Prevotella bivia Trigger Distinct and Overlapping Phenotypes in a Mouse Model of Bacterial Vaginosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common imbalance of the vaginal microbiota characterized by overgrowth of diverse Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Gram-negative anaerobes. Women with BV are at increased risk of secondary reproductive tract infections and adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, which specific bacteria cause clinical features of BV is unclear.

Methods

We previously demonstrated that Gardnerella vaginalis could elicit many BV features in mice. In this study, we established a BV model in which we coinfected mice with G. vaginalis and another species commonly found in women with BV: Prevotella bivia.

Results

This coinfection model recapitulates several aspects of human BV, including vaginal sialidase activity (a diagnostic BV feature independently ass

SUBMITTER: Gilbert NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6736442 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature