Demonstration of vaginal colonization with GusA-expressing Lactobacillus jensenii following oral delivery in rhesus macaques

• Published in: Research in microbiology 2011-12, Vol.162 (10), p.1006-1010
• Main Authors: Lagenaur, Laurel A., Lee, Peter P., Hamer, Dean H., Sanders-Beer, Brigitte E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Animals; Bacteriology; beta -Glucuronidase; Biological and medical sciences; Colonization; Defense mechanisms; Enzymes; Feces - microbiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastrointestinal tract; Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology; Glucuronidase - genetics; Glucuronidase - metabolism; Homology; Humans; Infection; Lactobacillus; Lactobacillus - classification; Lactobacillus - enzymology; Lactobacillus - genetics; Lactobacillus - isolation & purification; Macaca mulatta; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Nucleotide sequence; Oral; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pregnancy; Probiotics - administration & dosage; Rectal; Rectum; Rectum - microbiology; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Vagina; Vagina - microbiology; Vaginal
• ISSN: 0923-2508; 1769-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2011.08.003

The vaginal microbiome, which harbors beneficial Lactobacillus strains, is believed to be a major host defense mechanism for preventing infections of the urogenital tract. It has been suggested that the gastrointestinal tract serves as a reservoir for lactobacilli that colonize the vagina. Using rhesus macaques, we examined whether oral delivery of human vaginal Lactobacillus jensenii 1153–1646, a GusA-producing strain, would result in colonization of the rectum and the vagina. Lactobacilli were identified from the vagina tracts of three macaques on the basis of β-glucuronidase enzyme production, 16S rRNA gene sequence and DNA homology using a repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction.