Open AccessPhage infection in vaginal lactobacilli: An in vitro study
Author(s) -
Pavlova Sylvia I.,
Kiliç Ali O.,
Mou Susan M.,
Tao Lin
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
infectious diseases in obstetrics and gynecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.656
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1098-0997
pISSN - 1064-7449
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-0997(1997)5:1<36::aid-idog9>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - lactobacillus , bacterial vaginosis , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , lactobacillus crispatus , lytic cycle , vagina , in vitro , bacteriophage , agar , vaginal flora , lysis , agar plate , bacteria , virology , immunology , virus , escherichia coli , genetics , biochemistry , gene
Objective During bacterial vaginosis, an unexplained decrease of vaginal lactobacilli occurs. To identify whether these lactobacilli could be infected by phages, we isolated phages from vaginal lactobacilli and analyzed their potential virulence in attacking vaginal lactobacilli in vitro.Methods Vaginal samples were obtained from 39 reproductive‐aged women. The selective Rogosa SL agar was used to isolate lactobacilli, from which phages induced by mitomycin C or released spontaneoulsy were analyzed by the agar spot method. Results Of 20 samples from women with vaginal infections, 12 did not have lactobacilli. From the remaining 8 infection samples and the 19 samples from healthy women, 37 Lactobacillus strains were isolated, from which 7 temperate phages were identified. Upon analysis, all 7 phages infected vaginal lactobacilli from the same and/or different women in vitro. Two phages, ϕkc005 and ϕkc007, had a broad host range, infecting 7 of 8 species tested. A control intestinal Lactobacillus phage also lysed several vaginal strains. One vaginal phage, ϕkc039, was apparently lytic against vaginal lactobacilli from 7 other women. This phage was characterized as follows: plaque morphology, small and clear; burst size, 300 phages per cell; spontaneous induction rate, 1 per 10 6 cells; DNA, double‐stranded and linear, 41 kb; and shape, a hexogonal head and a non‐contractile tail. Conclusions Bacteriophages were isolated from vaginal lactobacilli of some women and were shown in vitro to lyse vaginal Lactobacillus strains from the same and/or different women. It was suggested that vaginal lactobacilli might be suppressed by phages. Infect. Dis. Obstet. Gynecol. 5:36–44, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc