Production of a Bacteriocin-Like Inhibitor by Enterococcus faecalis strain 62-6 Antagonistic to the Growth of Vaginal Lactobacillus spp.

Abstract

NORMAL VAGINAL MICROFLORA A healthy female generally harbors 107-8 colony forming units (cfu) per ml of vaginal fluid, of which four genera of Gram-positive bacteria dominate: • Lactobacillus spp. • Streptococcus spp. • Corynebacterium spp. • Staphylococcus spp. (Figure 1) Lactobacilli are usually the most numerous genus and their presence is often used as an indicator of a healthy vaginal environment. BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal tract infection seen in women of reproductive age in the US. BV is a polymicrobial syndrome where microorganisms are present in concentrations elevated to 1010-11 cfu. The normally dominant lactobacilli are replaced by: • Gardnerella vaginalis • obligate anaerobic bacteria • genital mycoplasmas