title: Efficacy of orally applied probiotic capsules for bacterial vaginosis and other vaginal infections: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy of orally administered capsules containing the probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 (Lactogyn, JGL, Rijeka, Croatia) compared to placebo in otherwise healthy women diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized, double-blind, multicentric, placebo-controlled trial, including a total of 544 subjects. Included were women older than 18 years of age, diagnosed with vaginal infection. Subjects received either probiotic (395 subjects or 72.6%) or identical-looking placebo capsules (149 subjects or 27.4%,) per day over a period of 6 weeks. Six and 12 weeks after the beginning of the study, subjects underwent two additional gynecological examinations and their vaginal swabs were evaluated by a clinical cytologist.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean follow-up period after the baseline visit was 44 days. After this period, restitution to balanced vaginal microbiota was reported in 40 subjects (26.9%) in the placebo group, compared to 243 subjects (61.5%) in the probiotic group. Differences between groups were statistically significant at p<0.001. After the additional 6 weeks of follow up, normal vaginal microbiota were still present in more than half (51.1%) of subjects in the probiotic group, but only in around one-fifth (20.8%) of subjects who were taking placebo (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral probiotics could be an alternative, side effect-free treatment for one of the most common indications in gynecology, combining the good aspects of both metronidazole and vaginal capsules.
authors: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical School, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. gvujic@hiim.hr
authors: Goran
authors: G
authors: Vujic
authors: Alenka
authors: A
authors: Jajac Knez
authors: Vedrana
authors: V
authors: Despot Stefanovic
authors: Vedrana
authors: V
authors: Kuzmic Vrbanovic
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000382:microbiology