Characterization and Inhibitory Activity of Lactobacillus plantarum MG989 and Lactobacillus fermentum MG901 Isolated from Vaginal Microbiota of Korean Women against Gardnerella vaginalis and Candida albicans

Abstract

Vaginitis, also known as vaginal infection and vulvovaginitis, is an inflammation of the vagina and possibly vulva. The three main kinds of vaginitis are bacterial vaginosis, vaginal candidiasis, and trichomoniasis. The purpose of this study was to characterize Lactobacillus plantarum MG989 and L. fermentum MG901 isolated from the vaginas of healthy Korean women in terms of their inhibitory activity against the vaginitis associated pathogens such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Candida albicans. Co-culture experiments showed that the two Lactobacillus strains MG989 and MG901 significantly reduced the viability of G. vaginalis and C. albicans. Also, the two strains were resistant to bile acid up to 1% and their autoaggregation rates were as high as 83.33%. Further studies are underway to demonstrate that the two strains can be applied as pharmaceutical agents for recovering healthy vaginal ecosystem.

Lactobacilli Strain Mixture Alleviates Bacterial Vaginosis through Antibacterial and Antagonistic Activity in Gardnerella vaginalis-Infected C57BL/6 Mice

“…Our previous in vivo studies demonstrated that five lactobacilli strains (Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MG4272, L. rhamnosus MG4288, Ligilactobacillus salivarius MG242, L. fermentum MG901, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MG989) isolated from the vaginal tract of healthy Korean women have good probiotic properties, such as acid/bile salt-resistance and adhesion (auto-aggregation). Furthermore, these strains demonstrated potential antimicrobial activity against GV or Candida albicans [14][15][16][17][18], and a three-strain mixture (MG242, MG901, and MG989) exhibited anti-BV activity in GV-infected mice [19].…”