• Journal of Menopausal Medicine
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.139-145
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• 2017

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and complicated vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) are frequently occurring vaginal infections in postmenopausal women, caused by an imbalance in vaginal microflora. Postmenopausal women suffer from decreased ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone. A normal, healthy vaginal microflora mainly comprises Lactobacillus species (spp.), which act beneficially as a bacterial barrier in the vagina, interfering with uropathogens. During premenopausal period, estrogen promotes vaginal colonization by lactobacilli that metabolizing glycogen and producing lactic acid, and maintains intravaginal health by lowering the intravaginal pH level. A lower vaginal pH inhibits uropathogen growth, preventing vaginal infections. Decreased estrogen secretion in postmenopausal women depletes lactobacilli and increases intravaginal pH, resulting in increased vaginal colonization by harmful microorganisms (e.g., Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, Candida, and Gardnerella). Probiotics positively effects on vaginal microflora composition by promoting the proliferation of beneficial microorganisms, alters the intravaginal microbiota composition, prevents vaginal infections in postmenopausal. Probiotics also reduce the symptoms of vaginal infections (e.g., vaginal discharge, odor, etc.), and are thus helpful for the treatment and prevention of BV and VVC. In this review article, we provide information on the intravaginal mechanism of postmenopausal vaginal infections, and describes the effectiveness of probiotics in the treatment and prevention of BV and VVC.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권11호
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• pp.1490-1500
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• 2021

Various microorganisms reside in the human vagina; the vaginal microbiome is closely linked to both vaginal and general health, and for this reason, microbiome studies of the vagina are an area of research. In this study, we analyzed the vaginal microbiome of women before and after menopause to further increase our understanding of the vaginal microbiome and its contribution to general health. We did a 16s rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis on the vaginal fluids of 11 premenopausal and 19 postmenopausal women in Korea. We confirmed that the taxonomic composition was significantly different between the two groups. In postmenopausal women, species richness was significantly decreased, but species diversity was significantly increased. In particular, among the taxonomic components corresponding to all taxon ranks of the vaginal microbiome, a reduction in Lactobacillus taxa after menopause contributed the most to the difference between the two groups. In addition, we confirmed through metabolic analysis that the lactic-acid concentration was also decreased in the vaginal fluid of women after menopause. Our findings on the correlation between menopause and the microbiome could help diagnose menopause and enhance the prevention and treatment diseases related to menopause.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.145-148
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• 2003

Many antibiotic monographs cite the induction of vaginal infections as a possible side effect. Invariably, this is believed to be due to Candide albicans, and empirical therapy is given. However, recent studies raise the question of the extent to which yeast do infect the host after antibiotic use. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was undertaken on female patients to determine how many yeast infections occurred following 10 days antibiotic use. In addition, the study was designed to examine whether oval use of probiotic lactobacilli can reduce the risk of vaginal infection. Twenty four patients diagnosed with respiratory, oval or throat infections received one of several types of antibiotic for 10 days, and two capsules containing 10$^{9}$ dried Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 from the day of commencement of antibiotic therapy for 21 days. The most commonly prescribed antibiotic was biaxin (clarithromycin). All but one patient had lactobacilli in the vagina upon entry to the study, and none developed yeast vaginitis or diarrhea during treatment or 20 days after completion of antibiotics. The mean Nugent score was higher in the placebo than the lactobacilli group (4.1 versus 2.4), and three cases of bacterial vaginosis arose (25 % incidence compared to 0% in the lactobacilli group) in the placebo group (2 receiving cefuroxime, 1 on biaxin). The study suggested that current antibiotic use is not necessarily associated with either diarrhea or yeast infection, as is often surmised. Nevertheless, daily use of probiotics was safe and could potentially reduce the risk of patients developing bacterial vaginosis after antibiotic use.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.312-317
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• 2002

Indigenous lactobacilli were isolated from vaginas of Korean women for possible use in ecological treatment of bacterial vaginosis. Vaginal swab samples were obtained from a gynecological clinic and streaked on Rogosa SL agar plates to select the most predominant lactobacilli in each sample. The preliminary identification of the isolates as lactobacilli was based on microscopic observation of Gram-positive rod-shaped cell morphology. The initial characterization was performed on 108 isolates in terms of their cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), antimicrobial activity, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production capability, and 10 isolates were then selected for further molecular identification. For a rapid procedure to identify lactobacilli, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses of the l6S rRNA genes were applied. The 10 selected lactobacilli and 9 different reference strains of Lactobacillus spp. were characterized by PCR-RFLP where the amplified l6S rDNA was digested with 7 different restriction endonucleases prior to analysis. DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene of one particular isolate, KLB 46, that had been identified as L. crispatus by the PCR-RFLP analysis, further confirmed its identity as L. crispatus.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.153-159
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• 2013

유아 분변, 우분, 염소 분변, 개 분변, 돼지 분변, vaginal tract 채취물, 채소류, 부패한 과일류, 김치, 젓갈, 발효 소세지, 원유, 치즈, 발효유, 청국장, 메주, 막걸리 등 다양한 시료로부터 3,000주의 미생물을 분리하였다. 분리미생물은 L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, S. enterica serovar Enteritidis에 대해 항균활성을 측정하여 박테리오신 생산 미생물 26주를 최종 선발하였다. 16S rDNA gene sequencing 분석을 통하여 동정한 결과, Enterococcus faecalis(7주), E. faecium(8주), E. hirae(5주), Lactobacillus acidophilus(1주), L. amylovorus(1주), L. curvatus(2주), L. plantarum(1주), Pediococcus acidilactici(1주)와 같이 8종의 미생물이 박테리오신을 생산하는 것으로 확인되었다. 미생물이 생산한 박테리오신은 대부분이 단백질 또는 펩타이드성 물질이어서 인간 또는 동물의 소화효소에 의해 분해되므로 식품에서 안전한 천연보존제로 사용할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.162-168
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• 2006

목 적: 자궁 내에서 태아의 소화기는 무균상태에 있다가 출생 후 신생아기에 점차 장내세균의 집락화가 이루어진다. 출생 초기에 처음으로 나타나는 세균은 Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcus가 있으며, 이후 Bifidobacterium spp.와 같은 혐기성 세균이 나타난다. 이에 저자들은 정상 신생아의 대변에서 생후 1주일 동안 장내세균총의 분포와 변화를 규명하고자 하였다. 방 법: 한림의대 강동성심병원에서 출생한 정상 신생아 15명(자연분만 3명, 제왕절개 12명)(모유수유 1명, 분유수유 8명, 혼합수유 6명)을 대상으로 하였다. 출생 첫 대변과 1일, 3일, 7일째의 대변을 채취하였다. 대변 배양 배지와 조건를 달리하여 호기성균(blood agar plate), E. coli (trypton bile X-glucuronide 배지), 그람 양성 혐기성균(phenylethyl alcohol agar), lactobacillus (MRS 배지), Bifidobacterium spp. (bifidobacterium selective agar), Clostridium difficile (cefoxitincycloserine-fructose agar)을 검출하여 배양된 균 집락의 수를 측정하여 기록하였다. 결 과: 출생 첫 대변에서는 균이 거의 검출되지 않았다. 호기성균, E. coli, 그람 양성 혐기성균은 출생 시부터 생후 7일까지 유의하게 증가하였다(p<0.05). Lactobacilli는 한명의 신생아에서 생후 7일에 검출되었다. Bifidobacterium spp.은 2명에서 검출되었다. Clostridium difficile은 생후 7일까지 검출되지 않았다. 분만 방법과 수유 방법에 따른 균 집락의 차이는 없었다. 결 론: 정상 신생아에서 생후 1주일 동안 장내세균총의 다양한 변화를 관찰할 수 있었다. 앞으로 생후 1주일 이후의 장내세균총의 변화와 더 많은 환아에서의 연구를 진행한다면 생균제 사용에 도움이 되리라 생각된다.