fbpx
Wikipedia

Gardnerella vaginalis

January 01, 1970

Gardnerella vaginalis is a species of Gram-variable-staining facultative anaerobic bacteria. The organisms are small (1.0–1.5 μm in diameter) non-spore-forming, nonmotile coccobacilli.[3]

Gardnerella vaginalis
Microscopic picture of vaginal epithelial clue cells coated with Gardnerella vaginalis, magnified 400 times
Scientific classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Actinomycetota
Class: Actinomycetia
Order: Bifidobacteriales
Family: Bifidobacteriaceae
Genus: Gardnerella
Species:
G. vaginalis
Binomial name
Gardnerella vaginalis
(Gardner and Dukes 1955)[1] Greenwood and Pickett 1980[2]

Once classified as Haemophilus vaginalis and afterwards as Corynebacterium vaginalis, G. vaginalis grows as small, circular, convex, gray colonies on chocolate agar; it also grows on HBT[4] agar. A selective medium for G. vaginalis is colistin-oxolinic acid blood agar.

Clinical significance edit

G. vaginalis is a facultatively anaerobic Gram-variable rod that is involved, together with many other bacteria, mostly anaerobic, in bacterial vaginosis in some women as a result of a disruption in the normal vaginal microflora. The resident facultative anaerobic Lactobacillus population in the vagina is responsible for the acidic environment. Once the anaerobes have supplanted the normal vaginal bacteria, prescription antibiotics with anaerobic coverage may have to be given to re-establish the equilibrium of the ecosystem. G. vaginalis is not considered the cause of the bacterial vaginosis, but a signal organism of the altered microbial ecology associated with overgrowth of many bacterial species.[5]

While typically isolated in genital cultures, it may also be detected in other samples from blood, urine, and the pharynx. Although G. vaginalis is a major species present in bacterial vaginosis, it can also be isolated from women without any signs or symptoms of infection.[6]

It has a Gram-positive cell wall,[7] but, because the cell wall is so thin, it can appear either Gram-positive or Gram-negative under the microscope. It is associated microscopically with clue cells, which are epithelial cells covered in bacteria.[citation needed]

G. vaginalis produces a pore-forming toxin, vaginolysin, which affects only human cells.[8]

Protease and sialidase enzyme activities frequently accompany G. vaginalis.[9][10][11][12]

Diagnosis edit

 
Gram stain of cells from the vagina (the same magnification) with normal bacterial flora (top) and the bacteria that cause vaginosis (bottom).

A variety of diagnosis techniques are currently available for identifying Gardnerella Vaginalis such as the OSOM BV Blue assay, FemExam cards and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), resulting in the determination of an ongoing BV infection. The OSOM BV Blue Assay is a chromogenis poinf-of-care test which can measure sialidase levels in vaginal fluids. As sialidases are produced by bacteria Gardnerella and Bacteroides species, it is known as a diagnostic technique for some time. FemExam, besides detecting vaginal fluid pH and trimethylamine presence, is able to measure proline iminopeptidase activity of G.Vaginalis.[13] Finally, the nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), such as PCR, are commonly used detection techniques due to its ability of detecting as little as one organism in a sample, providing a closer look to Gardnerella Vaginalis and BV status.[14]

Treatment edit

Bacterial vaginosis is commonly treated with antibiotics such as metronidazole or clindamycin, which work by targeting G.vaginalis. (Ferris et al., 1995) Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology described the effectiveness of clindamycin in inhibiting the growth of G. Vaginalis in vitro; it was found that clindamycin was able to inhibit the growth of the organism at concentrations as low as 0.25 μg/mL. However, due to the increased prevalence of antibiotics resistance, alternative treatment options for BV are still in development. Boric acid has been shown to be effective against BV, due to its ability to remove BV-specific biofilms and enhance eradication of G.vaginalis and other potential bacterial pathogens, resulting in reduced recurrence of symptomatic BV. (Sobel et al., 2009) Its mechanism of action is still not fully understood, but its effects on inhibitance of bacterial enzymes, biofilm formation and the permeability of bacterial cell walls, make it a useful treatment for recurrent BV.

Symptoms edit

G. vaginalis is associated with bacterial vaginosis,[15] which may be asymptomatic,[16] or may have symptoms including vaginal discharge, vaginal irritation, and a "fish-like" odor. In the amine whiff test, 10% KOH is added to the discharge; a positive result is indicated if a fishy smell is produced. This and other tests can be used to distinguish between vaginal symptoms related to G. vaginalis and those caused by other organisms, such as Trichomonas and Candida albicans, which are similar and may require different treatment. Trichomonas vaginalis and G. vaginalis have similar clinical presentations and can cause a frothy gray or yellow-green vaginal discharge, pruritus, and produce a positive "whiff-test". The two can be distinguished using a wet-mount slide, where a swab of the vaginal epithelium is diluted and then placed onto a slide for observation under a microscope. Gardnerella reveals a classic "clue cell" under the microscope, showing bacteria adhering to the surface of squamous epithelial cells.[17]

History edit

Gardnerella vaginalis was described in 1953 by Sidney Leopold as a nonmotile, nonencapsulated, pleomorphic gram-negative rod from the vaginas of women who showed symptoms of cervicitis. As though it's been suggested that the organism was related to the genus Haemophilus due to its morphology and growth conditions, the relation between this organism and vaginitis was still an unknown.[18] It was in 1955, when Gardner and Dukes described the microorganism in relation to bacterial vaginosis (BV).[19] Multiple risk factors associated with the development of BV have been identified. However, its exact etiology remains elusive due to its complexity.[20]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Gardner HL, Dukes CD (1955). "Haemophilus vaginalis vaginitis. A newly defined specific infection previously classified 'Non-specific vaginitis'". Am J Obstet Gynecol. 69 (5): 962–976. doi:10.1016/0002-9378(55)90095-8. PMID 14361525.
  2. ^ J. R. Greenwood; M. J. Pickett (January 1980). "Transfer of Haemophilus vaginalis Gardner and Dukes to a New Genus, Gardnerella: G. vaginalis (Gardner and Dukes) comb. nov". International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 30 (1): 170–178. doi:10.1099/00207713-30-1-170.
  3. ^ Taylor-Robinson D (1984). "The bacteriology of Gardnerella vaginalis". Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology. Supplementum. 86: 41–55. PMID 6399409.
  4. ^ Totten, P A; Amsel, R; Hale, J; Piot, P; Holmes, K K (January 1982). "Selective differential human blood bilayer media for isolation of Gardnerella (Haemophilus) vaginalis". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 15 (1): 141–147. doi:10.1128/jcm.15.1.141-147.1982. ISSN 0095-1137. PMC 272039. PMID 6764766.
  5. ^ "Bacterial Vaginosis Infection: Symptoms and Treatment". eMedicineHealth.
  6. ^ Kairys, Norah; Carlson, Karen; Garg, Manish (2024), "Gardnerella Vaginalis", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 29083684, retrieved 2024-04-01
  7. ^ Harper, J; Davis, G (1982). "Cell Wall Analysis of Gardnerella vaginalis". Int J Syst Bacteriol. 32: 48–50. doi:10.1099/00207713-32-1-48.
  8. ^ Gelber, S. E.; Aguilar, J. L.; Lewis, K. L. T.; Ratner, A. J. (2008). "Functional and Phylogenetic Characterization of Vaginolysin, the Human-Specific Cytolysin from Gardnerella vaginalis". Journal of Bacteriology. 190 (11): 3896–3903. doi:10.1128/JB.01965-07. PMC 2395025. PMID 18390664.
  9. ^ Lopes dos Santos Santiago, G.; Deschaght, P.; Aila, N. El; Kiama, T. N.; Verstraelen, H.; Jefferson, K. K.; Temmerman, M.; Vaneechoutte, M. (2011). "Gardnerella vaginalis comprises three distinct genotypes of which only two produce sialidase". Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 204: 450.
  10. ^ Harwich, M. D. Jr.; Alves, J. M.; Buck, G. A.; Strauss, J. F.; Patterson, J. L.; Oki, A. T.; Girerd, P. H.; Jefferson, K. K. (2010). "Drawing the line between commensal and pathogenic Gardnerella vaginalis through genome analysis and virulence studies". BMC Genomics. 11: 375. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-11-375. PMC 2890570. PMID 20540756.
  11. ^ von Nicolai, H.; Hammann, R.; Salehnia, S.; Zilliken, F. (1984). "A newly discovered sialidase from Gardnerella vaginalis". Zentralbl. Bakteriol. Mikrobiol. Hyg. A. 258 (1): 20–26. doi:10.1016/s0176-6724(84)80003-6. PMID 6335332.
  12. ^ Yeoman, C. J.; Yildirim, S.; Thomas, S. M.; Durkin, A. S.; Torralba, M.; Sutton, G.; Buhay, C. J.; Ding, Y.; Dugan-Rocha, S. P.; Muzny, D. M.; Qin, X.; Gibbs, R. A.; Leigh, S. R.; Stumpf, R.; White, B. A.; Highlander, S. K.; Nelson, K. E.; Wilson, B. A. (2010). "Comparative genomics of Gardnerella vaginalis strains reveals substantial differences in metabolic and virulence potential". PLOS ONE. 5 (8): e12411. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...512411Y. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012411. PMC 2928729. PMID 20865041.
  13. ^ West B, Morison L, Schim van der Loeff M, Gooding E, Awasana AA, Demba E, Mayaud P (June 2003). "Evaluation of a new rapid diagnostic kit (FemExam) for bacterial vaginosis in patients with vaginal discharge syndrome in The Gambia". Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 30 (6): 483–9. doi:10.1097/00007435-200306000-00003. PMID 12782948.
  14. ^ Coleman JS, Gaydos CA (September 2018). "Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Vaginosis: an Update". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 56 (9). doi:10.1128/JCM.00342-18. PMC 6113459. PMID 29769280.
  15. ^ Pleckaityte, Milda; Zilnyte, Milda; Zvirbliene, Aurelija (2012). "Insights into the CRISPR/Cas system of Gardnerella vaginalis". BMC Microbiology. 12: 301. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-12-301. PMC 3559282. PMID 23259527.
  16. ^ Schwebke, Jane R. (2000). "Asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis". American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 183 (6): 1434–1439. doi:10.1067/mob.2000.107735. PMID 11120507.
  17. ^ Reiter S, Kellogg Spadt S (January 2019). "Bacterial vaginosis: a primer for clinicians". Postgraduate Medicine. 131 (1): 8–18. doi:10.1080/00325481.2019.1546534. PMID 30424704. S2CID 53302848.
  18. ^ Vontver LA, Eschenbach DA (June 1981). "The role of Gardnerella vaginalis in nonspecific vaginitis". Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 24 (2): 439–60. doi:10.1097/00003081-198106000-00009. PMID 6975685.
  19. ^ Turovskiy Y, Sutyak Noll K, Chikindas ML (May 2011). "The aetiology of bacterial vaginosis". Journal of Applied Microbiology. 110 (5): 1105–28. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2672.2011.04977.x. PMC 3072448. PMID 21332897.
  20. ^ Abbe C, Mitchell CM (2023). "Bacterial vaginosis: a review of approaches to treatment and prevention". Frontiers in Reproductive Health. 5: 1100029. doi:10.3389/frph.2023.1100029. PMC 10264601. PMID 37325243.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gardnerella vaginalis.
  • Gardnerella at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
  • Type strain of Gardnerella vaginalis at BacDive - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase

January 01, 1970
gardnerella, vaginalis, species, gram, variable, staining, facultative, anaerobic, bacteria, organisms, small, diameter, spore, forming, nonmotile, coccobacilli, microscopic, picture, vaginal, epithelial, clue, cells, coated, with, magnified, times, scientific. Gardnerella vaginalis is a species of Gram variable staining facultative anaerobic bacteria The organisms are small 1 0 1 5 mm in diameter non spore forming nonmotile coccobacilli 3 Gardnerella vaginalis Microscopic picture of vaginal epithelial clue cells coated with Gardnerella vaginalis magnified 400 times Scientific classification Domain Bacteria Phylum Actinomycetota Class Actinomycetia Order Bifidobacteriales Family Bifidobacteriaceae Genus Gardnerella Species G vaginalis Binomial name Gardnerella vaginalis Gardner and Dukes 1955 1 Greenwood and Pickett 1980 2 Once classified as Haemophilus vaginalis and afterwards as Corynebacterium vaginalis G vaginalis grows as small circular convex gray colonies on chocolate agar it also grows on HBT 4 agar A selective medium for G vaginalis is colistin oxolinic acid blood agar Contents 1 Clinical significance 2 Diagnosis 3 Treatment 4 Symptoms 5 History 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksClinical significance editG vaginalis is a facultatively anaerobic Gram variable rod that is involved together with many other bacteria mostly anaerobic in bacterial vaginosis in some women as a result of a disruption in the normal vaginal microflora The resident facultative anaerobic Lactobacillus population in the vagina is responsible for the acidic environment Once the anaerobes have supplanted the normal vaginal bacteria prescription antibiotics with anaerobic coverage may have to be given to re establish the equilibrium of the ecosystem G vaginalis is not considered the cause of the bacterial vaginosis but a signal organism of the altered microbial ecology associated with overgrowth of many bacterial species 5 While typically isolated in genital cultures it may also be detected in other samples from blood urine and the pharynx Although G vaginalis is a major species present in bacterial vaginosis it can also be isolated from women without any signs or symptoms of infection 6 It has a Gram positive cell wall 7 but because the cell wall is so thin it can appear either Gram positive or Gram negative under the microscope It is associated microscopically with clue cells which are epithelial cells covered in bacteria citation needed G vaginalis produces a pore forming toxin vaginolysin which affects only human cells 8 Protease and sialidase enzyme activities frequently accompany G vaginalis 9 10 11 12 Diagnosis edit nbsp Gram stain of cells from the vagina the same magnification with normal bacterial flora top and the bacteria that cause vaginosis bottom A variety of diagnosis techniques are currently available for identifying Gardnerella Vaginalis such as the OSOM BV Blue assay FemExam cards and nucleic acid amplification tests NAATs resulting in the determination of an ongoing BV infection The OSOM BV Blue Assay is a chromogenis poinf of care test which can measure sialidase levels in vaginal fluids As sialidases are produced by bacteria Gardnerella and Bacteroides species it is known as a diagnostic technique for some time FemExam besides detecting vaginal fluid pH and trimethylamine presence is able to measure proline iminopeptidase activity of G Vaginalis 13 Finally the nucleic acid amplification tests NAATs such as PCR are commonly used detection techniques due to its ability of detecting as little as one organism in a sample providing a closer look to Gardnerella Vaginalis and BV status 14 Treatment editBacterial vaginosis is commonly treated with antibiotics such as metronidazole or clindamycin which work by targeting G vaginalis Ferris et al 1995 Additionally a study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology described the effectiveness of clindamycin in inhibiting the growth of G Vaginalis in vitro it was found that clindamycin was able to inhibit the growth of the organism at concentrations as low as 0 25 mg mL However due to the increased prevalence of antibiotics resistance alternative treatment options for BV are still in development Boric acid has been shown to be effective against BV due to its ability to remove BV specific biofilms and enhance eradication of G vaginalis and other potential bacterial pathogens resulting in reduced recurrence of symptomatic BV Sobel et al 2009 Its mechanism of action is still not fully understood but its effects on inhibitance of bacterial enzymes biofilm formation and the permeability of bacterial cell walls make it a useful treatment for recurrent BV Symptoms editG vaginalis is associated with bacterial vaginosis 15 which may be asymptomatic 16 or may have symptoms including vaginal discharge vaginal irritation and a fish like odor In the amine whiff test 10 KOH is added to the discharge a positive result is indicated if a fishy smell is produced This and other tests can be used to distinguish between vaginal symptoms related to G vaginalis and those caused by other organisms such as Trichomonas and Candida albicans which are similar and may require different treatment Trichomonas vaginalis and G vaginalis have similar clinical presentations and can cause a frothy gray or yellow green vaginal discharge pruritus and produce a positive whiff test The two can be distinguished using a wet mount slide where a swab of the vaginal epithelium is diluted and then placed onto a slide for observation under a microscope Gardnerella reveals a classic clue cell under the microscope showing bacteria adhering to the surface of squamous epithelial cells 17 History editGardnerella vaginalis was described in 1953 by Sidney Leopold as a nonmotile nonencapsulated pleomorphic gram negative rod from the vaginas of women who showed symptoms of cervicitis As though it s been suggested that the organism was related to the genus Haemophilus due to its morphology and growth conditions the relation between this organism and vaginitis was still an unknown 18 It was in 1955 when Gardner and Dukes described the microorganism in relation to bacterial vaginosis BV 19 Multiple risk factors associated with the development of BV have been identified However its exact etiology remains elusive due to its complexity 20 See also editList of bacterial vaginosis microbiotaReferences edit Gardner HL Dukes CD 1955 Haemophilus vaginalis vaginitis A newly defined specific infection previously classified Non specific vaginitis Am J Obstet Gynecol 69 5 962 976 doi 10 1016 0002 9378 55 90095 8 PMID 14361525 J R Greenwood M J Pickett January 1980 Transfer of Haemophilus vaginalis Gardner and Dukes to a New Genus Gardnerella G vaginalis Gardner and Dukes comb nov International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 30 1 170 178 doi 10 1099 00207713 30 1 170 Taylor Robinson D 1984 The bacteriology of Gardnerella vaginalis Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology Supplementum 86 41 55 PMID 6399409 Totten P A Amsel R Hale J Piot P Holmes K K January 1982 Selective differential human blood bilayer media for isolation of Gardnerella Haemophilus vaginalis Journal of Clinical Microbiology 15 1 141 147 doi 10 1128 jcm 15 1 141 147 1982 ISSN 0095 1137 PMC 272039 PMID 6764766 Bacterial Vaginosis Infection Symptoms and Treatment eMedicineHealth Kairys Norah Carlson Karen Garg Manish 2024 Gardnerella Vaginalis StatPearls Treasure Island FL StatPearls Publishing PMID 29083684 retrieved 2024 04 01 Harper J Davis G 1982 Cell Wall Analysis of Gardnerella vaginalis Int J Syst Bacteriol 32 48 50 doi 10 1099 00207713 32 1 48 Gelber S E Aguilar J L Lewis K L T Ratner A J 2008 Functional and Phylogenetic Characterization of Vaginolysin the Human Specific Cytolysin from Gardnerella vaginalis Journal of Bacteriology 190 11 3896 3903 doi 10 1128 JB 01965 07 PMC 2395025 PMID 18390664 Lopes dos Santos Santiago G Deschaght P Aila N El Kiama T N Verstraelen H Jefferson K K Temmerman M Vaneechoutte M 2011 Gardnerella vaginalis comprises three distinct genotypes of which only two produce sialidase Am J Obstet Gynecol 204 450 Harwich M D Jr Alves J M Buck G A Strauss J F Patterson J L Oki A T Girerd P H Jefferson K K 2010 Drawing the line between commensal and pathogenic Gardnerella vaginalis through genome analysis and virulence studies BMC Genomics 11 375 doi 10 1186 1471 2164 11 375 PMC 2890570 PMID 20540756 von Nicolai H Hammann R Salehnia S Zilliken F 1984 A newly discovered sialidase from Gardnerella vaginalis Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg A 258 1 20 26 doi 10 1016 s0176 6724 84 80003 6 PMID 6335332 Yeoman C J Yildirim S Thomas S M Durkin A S Torralba M Sutton G Buhay C J Ding Y Dugan Rocha S P Muzny D M Qin X Gibbs R A Leigh S R Stumpf R White B A Highlander S K Nelson K E Wilson B A 2010 Comparative genomics of Gardnerella vaginalis strains reveals substantial differences in metabolic and virulence potential PLOS ONE 5 8 e12411 Bibcode 2010PLoSO 512411Y doi 10 1371 journal pone 0012411 PMC 2928729 PMID 20865041 West B Morison L Schim van der Loeff M Gooding E Awasana AA Demba E Mayaud P June 2003 Evaluation of a new rapid diagnostic kit FemExam for bacterial vaginosis in patients with vaginal discharge syndrome in The Gambia Sexually Transmitted Diseases 30 6 483 9 doi 10 1097 00007435 200306000 00003 PMID 12782948 Coleman JS Gaydos CA September 2018 Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Vaginosis an Update Journal of Clinical Microbiology 56 9 doi 10 1128 JCM 00342 18 PMC 6113459 PMID 29769280 Pleckaityte Milda Zilnyte Milda Zvirbliene Aurelija 2012 Insights into the CRISPR Cas system of Gardnerella vaginalis BMC Microbiology 12 301 doi 10 1186 1471 2180 12 301 PMC 3559282 PMID 23259527 Schwebke Jane R 2000 Asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis American Journal of Obstetrics amp Gynecology 183 6 1434 1439 doi 10 1067 mob 2000 107735 PMID 11120507 Reiter S Kellogg Spadt S January 2019 Bacterial vaginosis a primer for clinicians Postgraduate Medicine 131 1 8 18 doi 10 1080 00325481 2019 1546534 PMID 30424704 S2CID 53302848 Vontver LA Eschenbach DA June 1981 The role of Gardnerella vaginalis in nonspecific vaginitis Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology 24 2 439 60 doi 10 1097 00003081 198106000 00009 PMID 6975685 Turovskiy Y Sutyak Noll K Chikindas ML May 2011 The aetiology of bacterial vaginosis Journal of Applied Microbiology 110 5 1105 28 doi 10 1111 j 1365 2672 2011 04977 x PMC 3072448 PMID 21332897 Abbe C Mitchell CM 2023 Bacterial vaginosis a review of approaches to treatment and prevention Frontiers in Reproductive Health 5 1100029 doi 10 3389 frph 2023 1100029 PMC 10264601 PMID 37325243 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gardnerella vaginalis Gardnerella at the U S National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings MeSH Type strain of Gardnerella vaginalis at BacDive the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gardnerella vaginalis amp oldid 1223440599, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.