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. 2002 Jan;9(1):92-6.
doi: 10.1128/cdli.9.1.92-96.2002.

Persistence of Lactobacillus fermentum RC-14 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 but not L. rhamnosus GG in the human vagina as demonstrated by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA

Gillian E Gardiner  1 , Christine Heinemann, Andrew W Bruce, Dee Beuerman, Gregor Reid
Affiliations

Persistence of Lactobacillus fermentum RC-14 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 but not L. rhamnosus GG in the human vagina as demonstrated by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA

Gillian E Gardiner et al. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 2002 Jan.

Abstract

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 are well-characterized probiotic strains with efficacy in the prevention and treatment of urogenital infections in women. The aim of the present study was to apply a molecular biology-based methodology for the detection of these strains and L. rhamnosus GG (a commercially available intestinal probiotic) in the human vagina in order to assess probiotic persistence at this site. Ten healthy women inserted vaginally a capsule containing either a combination of strains GR-1 and RC-14 or the GG strain for 3 consecutive nights. Vaginal swabs taken before and at various time points after probiotic insertion were analyzed, and the Lactobacillus flora was assessed by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. This method generated discrete DNA fingerprints for GR-1, RC-14, and GG and enabled successful detection of these strains in the vagina. Strain GR-1 and/or strain RC-14 was found to persist in the vaginal tract for up to 19 days after vaginal instillation, while L. rhamnosus GG was detectable for up to 5 days postadministration. In conclusion, the fates of probiotic L. rhamnosus and L. fermentum strains were successfully monitored in the human vagina by RAPD analysis. This technique provides molecular biology-based evidence that RC-14 and GR-1, strains selected as urogenital probiotics, persist in the human vagina and may be more suited to vaginal colonization than L. rhamnosus GG. This highlights the importance of proper selection of strains for urogenital probiotic applications.

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Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
RAPD fingerprints of probiotic Lactobacillus strains (L. rhamnosus GR-1 [lane 2], L. fermentum RC-14 [lane 3], and L. rhamnosus GG [lane 4]), culture collection Lactobacillus strains (L. fermentum ATCC 9338 [lane 5], L. rhamnosus ATCC 7469 [lane 6], L. reuteri ATCC 23272 [lane 7], L. plantarum ATCC 14917 [lane 8], L. casei ATCC 393 [lane 9], L. vaginalis NCFB 2810 [lane 10], L. acidophilus ATCC 33199 [lane 11], and L. jensenii ATCC 25258 [lane 12]), and vaginal isolates (L. casei 70 [lane 13] and L. paracasei 55 [lane 14]). Lanes 1 and 15, 100-bp ladders.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
RAPD fingerprints of L. rhamnosus GR-1 (lane 2), L. rhamnosus GR-1 isolates from a capsule containing the L. rhamnosus GR-1-L. fermentum RC-14 combination (lanes 3 to 5), L. fermentum RC-14 (lane 6), L. fermentum RC-14 isolates from the same L. rhamnosus GR-1-L. fermentum RC-14 capsule (lanes 7 to 9), L. rhamnosus GG (lane 10), and Lactobacillus isolates from a capsule containing the L. rhamnosus GG strain (lanes 11 and 12). Lanes 1 and 13, 100-bp ladders.
FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.
(A) RAPD fingerprints of L. rhamnosus GR-1 (lane 1), L. fermentum RC-14 (lane 2), and representative lactobacilli isolated from vaginal swabs of subject 210 before (lane 3) and 1 (lanes 4 to 6), 5 (lanes 7 and 8), 12 (lanes 9 and 10), and 18 (lanes 11 and 12) days after vaginal insertion of an L. rhamnosus GR-1-L. fermentum RC-14 capsule for 3 consecutive nights. Lane 13, a 100-bp ladder. (B) PFGE analysis of L. rhamnosus GR-1 (lane 1) and selected vaginal Lactobacillus isolates from subject 207 at 1 day (lanes 2 to 4) and 5 days (lanes 5 to 7) after vaginal insertion of an L. rhamnosus GR-1-L. fermentum RC-14 capsule for 3 consecutive nights. Lane 8, low-range PFGE molecular size markers.
FIG. 4.
FIG. 4.
RAPD fingerprints of L. rhamnosus GG (lane 1) and representative lactobacilli isolated from vaginal swabs of subject 222 before (lane 2) and 3 (lane 3), 7 (lanes 4 to 6), 14 (lane 7), and 21 (lane 8) days after vaginal insertion of an L. rhamnosus GG capsule for 3 consecutive nights. Lane 9, a 100-bp ladder.
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