title: Probiotic Lactobacillus dose required to restore and maintain a normal vaginal flora.
abstract: Forty-two healthy women were randomized to receive one of three encapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 plus Lactobacillus fermentum RC-14 probiotic dosage regimens or L. rhamnosus GG by mouth each day for 28 days. However, the vaginal flora, assessed by Nugent scoring, was only normal in 40% of the cases, and 14 patients had asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis. Treatment with L. rhamnosus GR-1/L. fermentum RC-14 once and twice daily correlated with a healthy vaginal flora in up to 90% of patients, and 7/11 patients with bacterial vaginosis converted to normal or intermediate scores within 1 month. Ingestion of L. rhamnosus GG failed to have an effect. This study confirms the potential efficacy of orally administered lactobacilli as a non-chemotherapeutic means to restore and maintain a normal urogenital flora, and shows that over 10(8) viable organisms per day is the required dose.
authors.affiliation: H414, Lawson Health Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. gregor@uwo.ca
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beuerman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heinemann
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Bruce
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002214:Capsules; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus; D008875:Middle Aged; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D002214:Capsules