title: Effects of lactoferrin in 6 patients with refractory bacterial vaginosis.
abstract: We previously reported that lactoferrin (LF) could be effective for preventing preterm delivery and intrauterine infections, based on data derived from mice and rabbits. Here we describe 6 women with a history of multiple pregnancy losses or preterm delivery and refractory bacterial vaginosis, who received prebiotic LF therapy and delivered an infant normally. Five of the women were pregnant and one was not at the time of this study. The Ethics Committee at Showa University Hospital and Showa University Koto Toyosu Hospital approved the therapeutic protocol. Vaginal suppositories and oral prebiotic LF were administered to patients who were refractory to conventional treatment for vaginosis and had a history of late miscarriages and very early preterm delivery due to refractory vaginitis and chorioamnionitis. LF significantly improved the vaginal bacterial flora. Lactobacillus, which was detectable in the vaginas of all patients after one month of LF therapy, gradually became dominant. The findings from these 6 patients suggest that administering LF to humans could help prevent refractory vaginitis, cervical inflammation, and preterm delivery.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Showa University Koto Toyosu Hospital, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsufumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Otsuki
authors.affiliation: b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hachinohe City Hospital, Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Imai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011817:Rabbits; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; C490098:LTF protein, human; D007781:Lactoferrin
keywords: Lactobacillus; accouchement prématuré; cervical inflammation; infection intra-utérine; inflammation du col utérin; intrauterine infection; preterm delivery