Changes in vaginal microbiota following antimicrobial and probiotic therapy.
BACKGROUND
The composition of the vaginal microbiota is known to be important for health. When infections occur, antimicrobial therapy is often poorly efficacious.


OBJECTIVE
We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize changes in the bacterial microbiota following oral antimicrobial and probiotic interventions.


RESULTS
While the bacterial vaginal profiles of women with vulvovaginal candidiasis were dominated by lactobacilli as in healthy women, and unchanged by therapy, Gardnerella vaginalis, Prevotella, Atopobium, Sneathia, and Megasphaera dominated the vagina of women with bacterial vaginosis (BV), and treatment with tinidazole plus Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14+L. rhamnosus GR-1 resulted in an increased relative abundance of indigenous L. iners or L. crispatus.


CONCLUSIONS
The ability to restore homeostasis provides a rationale for conjoint use of probiotics with antibiotic treatment of BV.
Canadian Research & Development Centre for Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Biochemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Jean M
JM
Macklaim
Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Jose C
JC
Clemente
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.|Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.|Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Rob
R
Knight
Canadian Research & Development Centre for Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Biochemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Gregory B
GB
Gloor
Canadian Research & Development Centre for Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Surgery, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; gregor@uwo.ca.
Gregor
G
Reid
Lactobacillus; bacterial vaginosis; probiotics; vulvovaginal candidiasis