BACKGROUND Bacterial vaginosis increases the susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections and negatively affects women's reproductive health. METHODS To investigate host-vaginal microbiota interactions and the impact on immune barrier function, we colonized 3-dimensional (3-D) human vaginal epithelial cells with 2 predominant species of vaginal microbiota (Lactobacillus iners and Lactoba...

BACKGROUND Bacterial vaginosis is a condition of unknown etiology, associated with an imbalance of the normal vaginal microbiota, characterized by a high recurrence rate despite of classical therapy solutions. Probiotics are microorganisms, which taken in adequate amounts, are proven to bring health benefits in human and animal bodies, by re-establishing the normal flora at different levels. ...

Vaginosis is the most common infection in women of child bearing age. Infections are very common with more than 90 million cases of bacterial vaginosis (BV) worldwide per annum. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of probiotics as a supplement along with metronidazole in treatment of vaginosis, A total of 50 rural women diagnosed as BV randomly categorized into two groups, Group A p...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to describe the bacterial flora of women in preterm labor with or without premature rupture of membranes. METHODS Retrospective studies of 239 patients with preterm labor were performed. RESULTS One hundred and twenty-three of 239 patients with preterm labor (51.5%) had bacterial vaginosis. Seventy of the 239 patients with preterm labor (29.3%) developed p...

Bacterial vaginosis is a common cause of malodorous vaginal discharge. It is also associated with sexually transmitted infections and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The magnitude of the gynecological and obstetrical consequences has stimulated therapeutic research and led to the testing of several therapies. The objective of this work is to present the currently available therapeutic strategies fo...

This prospective comparative study evaluated a DNA hybridization test (Affirm VPIII) as an alternative to Gram stain for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. We examined vaginal smears from 1,725 pregnant women between the 12th and 36th weeks of gestation with clinical signs of vaginal infection. The DNA hybridization test compared well with Gram stain and can be used as a rapid diagnostic too...

To evaluate whether bacterial vaginosis predicts the acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), we studied 255 nonpregnant female subjects aged 15-30 who reported recent sexual contact with a male partner in whom either gonococcal or chlamydial urethritis or nongonococcal urethritis was diagnosed. Compared to subjects with normal vaginal flora, subjects with bacterial vaginosis were m...

background and Objective: Although Nugent’s criterion is considered as the gold standard, routinely a combination of various methods is used for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. In the present study we compared culture, Spiegel’s criteria and Amsel’s criteria with Nugent’s method for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. Materials and Methods: Five hundred and twenty seven women who attend...

BACKGROUND Vulvovaginal candidiasis is characterized by curd-like vaginal discharge and itching, and is associated with considerable health and economic costs. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined the incidence, prevalence, and risk factors for vulvovaginal candidiasis among a cohort of 898 women in south India. Participants completed three study visits over six months, comprised of a structured...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether antibiotic treatment for bacterial vaginosis or Trichomonas vaginalis during pregnancy decreases the risk of preterm birth and associated adverse outcomes. DATA SOURCES Pre-MEDLINE and MEDLINE (1966-2003), EMBASE (1980-2003), and the Cochrane Library were searched using the keywords "bacterial vaginosis", "Trichomonas", "Trichomonas vaginalis", "Trichomonas vagi...