title: Desquamated epithelial cells covered with a polymicrobial biofilm typical for bacterial vaginosis are present in randomly selected cryopreserved donor semen.
abstract: We tested whether the bacterial biofilm typical for bacterial vaginosis (BV) can be found on desquamated epithelial cells in cryopreserved donor semen. Bacteria were detected with FISH. Bacterial biofilm, covering the epithelial layer in vaginal biopsies of 20 women with BV, was evaluated on desquamated epithelial cells found in the urine of these same women and their male partners (N=20) and compared with the bacterial biofilm found on desquamated epithelial cells in randomly selected cryopreserved semen samples (N=20). Urine from 20 healthy women of laboratory and clinic personnel and urine from their partners were used as controls. Desquamated epithelial cells covered with a polymicrobial Gardnerella biofilm were identified in urine samples from all women with BV and 13 of their male partners and in none of the female controls and their partners. Gardnerella biofilm, typical for BV, was found in the semen of three of the 20 donors. Donor semen might be a vector for BV.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Genetics, Polymicrobial Infections and Bacterial Biofilms, Humboldt University, Charité Hospital, CCM, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. alexander.swidsinski@charite.de
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Swidsinski
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dörffel
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Loening-Baucke
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mendling
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Verstraelen
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dieterle
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schilling
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D016975:Gardnerella / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000382:microbiology*; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology*