title: Organism diversity between women with and without bacterial vaginosis as determined by polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 16S rRNA gene sequence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to characterize the different structures of microbial communities between 20 healthy women and 17 bacterial vaginosis (BV)-positive women of reproductive age using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Vaginal samples from 17 BV-positive and 20 BV-negative women were subjected to DNA extraction, and amplified with eubacterial 16S rRNA gene-specific primers via polymerase chain reaction. The polymerase chain reaction products were separated using DGGE. Bands were excised, re-amplified, purified and sequenced. DNA sequences were compared with GenBank database. Phylip software packages were used to calculate sequencing data and form a phylogenetic tree to identify the genetic relations for microbiota inhabited in vaginal ecosystems of BV-positive women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 28 kinds of organisms were detected that comprised BV(+) vagina microbial community, varying from three to nine kinds with an average of 5.71 kinds per woman. Only seven species were detected in BV(-) women, ranging between one and five species with an average of 2.40 species per woman, which was significantly lower than that detected in BV(+) women (t = 7.39, P < 0.001). A strain of Uncultured Lactobacillus sp. clone EHFS1_S05c (29/37; 78.38%) was most commonly presented in both BV-negative and BV-positive women, but the mean proportion of this Lactobacillus sp. strain to the whole microbial population colonized in the vaginal tract of BV(-) women was sharply higher than that calculated from BV(+) women (t = 2.92, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate further diversity in the category of vaginal microorganisms associated with BV. The presence of Gardnerella vaginalis is not necessary as a sign for gynecologists to determine whether or not a woman is affected by BV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Shandong University, China.
authors.forename: Yutao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Diao
authors.forename: Xueqiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Shouqiang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yanfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huiqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Xiaomeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Zhongtang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D058645:Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; D005260:Female; D006194:Gardnerella vaginalis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S