Lactobacilli have long been regarded as important constituents of the healthy human vagina. Lactobacillus iners is the most frequently detected bacterial species in the vagina, but little is known about its characteristics. We report a description of the whole-genome sequence of L. iners AB-1 along with comparative analysis of published genomes of closely related strains of lactobacilli. The genome is the smallest Lactobacillus reported to date, with a 1.3-Mbp single chromosome. The genome seems to have undergone one or more rapid evolution events that resulted in large-scale gene loss and horizontal acquisition of a number of genes for survival in the vagina. L. iners may exhibit specialized adaptation mechanisms to the vaginal environment, such as an iron–sulfur cluster assembly system, and several unique σ factors to regulate gene transcription in this fluctuating environment. A potentially highly expressed homolog of a cholesterol-binding lysin may also contribute to host cell adhesion or act as a defense mechanism against other microbes. Notably, there is a lack of apparent adhesion proteins, but several cell-anchor proteins were identified and may be important for interaction with the host mucosal tissues. L. iners is widely present in healthy females as well as those suffering from bacterial vaginosis or who have undergone antimicrobial therapy, suggesting that it is an important indigenous species of the vagina.

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HIV/AIDS is changing the human landscape in sub-Saharan Africa. Relatively few patients receive antiretroviral therapy, and many suffer from debilitating diarrhea that affects their quality of life. Given the track record of probiotics to alleviate diarrhea, conventional yogurt fermented with Lactobacillus delbruekii var bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus was supplemented with probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14. Twenty-four HIV/AIDS adult female patients (18 to 44 y) with clinical signs of moderate diarrhea, CD4 counts over 200, and not receiving antiretrovirals or dietary supplements, consumed either 100 mL supplemented or unsupplemented yogurt per day for 15 days. Hematologic profiles, CD4 cell counts, and quality of life was evaluated at baseline, 15 and 30 days postprobiotic-yogurt feeding. There was no significant alteration in the hematologic parameters of both groups before and after the probiotic-yogurt feeding. The probiotic yogurt group at baseline, 15 and 30 days had a mean WBC count of 5.8+/-0.76 x 10(9)/L, 6.0+/-1.02 x 10(9)/L, and 5.4+/-0.14 x 10(9)/L, respectively. However, the mean CD4 cell count remained the same or increased at 15 and 30 days in 11/12 probiotic-treated subjects compared to 3/12 in the control. Diarrhea, flatulence, and nausea resolved in 12/12 probiotic-treated subjects within 2 days, compared to 2/12 receiving yogurt for 15 days. This is the first study to show the benefits of probiotic yogurt on quality of life of women in Nigeria with HIV/AIDS, and suggests that perhaps a simple fermented food can provide some relief in the management of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.