Vaginal lactobacilli: self- and co-aggregating ability

• Published in: British journal of biomedical science 2002, Vol.59 (4), p.183-190
• Main Authors: Ocaña, Virginia S., Nader-Macías, María Elena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aggregation; Bacterial Adhesion - drug effects; Bacterial Adhesion - physiology; Candida; Candida - physiology; Female; Humans; Lactobacillus; Lactobacillus - physiology; Mannose - pharmacology; Pepsin A - pharmacology; Trypsin - pharmacology; Vagina - microbiology
• ISSN: 0967-4845; 2474-0896
• DOI: 10.1080/09674845.2002.11783657

Lactic acid bacteria are the dominant bacteria of the vaginal tract in healthy women. Lactobacillus species form a barrier population that protects from pathogen colonisation by mechanisms that include adhesion to epithelial surfaces, self-aggregation and co-aggregation. In this study, factors involved in the self-aggregating ability of vaginal lactobacilli and in the co-aggregation of these microorganisms with Candida spp. are studied. Both self-aggregation and co-aggregation are monitored quantitatively by the decrease in the absorbance of suspensions of the microorganisms and qualitatively by light microscopy. The self-aggregating ability of four vaginal lactobacilli was shown to be caused by a peptide or protein sensitive to trypsin. However, in self-aggregating Lactobacillus acidophilus CRL 1294 the factor was resistant to trypsin and sensitive to pepsin. Among self-aggregating lactobacilli, L. acidophilus CRL 1294 and L. salivarius CRL 1328 were able to co-aggregate with Candida spp. The co-aggregating factor for both strains proved to be peptide of the surface anda peptide on the bacterial surface, while the receptor on the yeast was a carbohydrate. Co-aggregation of both lactobacilli and Candida spp. was inhibited by the addition of mannose but was not affected by other carbohydrates. Self and co-aggregation factors were not able to induce aggregation in non-aggregating lactobacilli.