Culture-independent Analysis of Vaginal Microbial Communities in Healthy Women and Three Patients with Bacterial Vaginosis

Abstract:

Three healthy women and three patients with BV were selected and diagonsed respectively according to the Amsel and Nugent criteria. Total microbial community DNA was extracted from their vaginal discharges, and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were constructed. ARDAR fingerprinting patterns and sequences analysis of positive clones from each library showed that clones representing Lactobacillus crispatus and L. iners accounted for a major proportion respectively in the libraries for healthy women, where L. vaginalis and L. jensenii clones were present in a small amount. In the libraries for patients with BV, the microbial varieties increased remarkably, but both Gardnerella vaginalis and Atopobium vaginae clones constituted a greater portion, while Lactobacillus clones were not detected. It is therefore concluded that the vaginal microflora of healthy women is simple, predominated by single Lactbacillus species, and L. iners is one of the dominant species. The vaginal microflora of BV patients is complicated and various, but predominated by both Gardnerella vaginalis and Atopobium vaginae.