Abstract
Reduction of vaginal Lactobacillus population leads to overgrowth of opportunistic organisms such as Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS), which causes life threatening neonatal infections. The activities of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLIS) produced by Lactobacillus species isolated from the vagina of pregnant women were tested on GBS. Crude Bacteriocins were produced from seven Lactobacillus isolates using de Man Rogosa Sharpes media. Partial purification was done using ammonium sulphate saturation (90%) and dialysis methods. The antibacterial effects of the crude and partially purified BLIS were carried out by disc Agar diffusion method. The BLIS from strains R5 and L2 gave the highest and lowest inhibition zone diameter (IZD) of 16.9 mm and 12.1 mm, respectively, for the crude extracts and 18.5 mm and 14.2 mm, respectively, for the partially purified extracts. All the BLIS had their strongest activity at 30°C and decreased with increase in temperature. BLIS from strains L3 and L4 lost their activities at 100°C. The activities of all the BLIS were higher at acidic pH. The IZD of the combined crude extract was 19.06 mm, while that of the combined partially purified extracts was 21.07 mm. The combined BLIS had higher activity than each of the single compound. There were no statistical difference between the sensitivities of the partially purified BLIS and the crude BLIS (P > 0.05). The findings of this study show that BLIS produced by vaginal Lactobacilli spp. can be used as probiotics for the control of GBS and that combining the BLIS may be more effective.Keywords: Antibacterial, Group B Streptococci, Vaginal Lactobacillus
Highlights
Lactobacillus species are nonpathogenic Gram-positive rods that are predominantly isolated from the vagina of healthy premenopausal women (Reid and Burton, 2002)
The findings of this study show that Bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS) produced by vaginal Lactobacilli spp. can be used as probiotics for the control of Group B Streptococci (GBS) and that combining the BLIS may be more effective
Lactobacillus species are nonpathogenic Gram-positive rods that are predominantly isolated from the vagina of healthy premenopausal women (Reid and Burton, 2002)
Summary
Lactobacillus species are nonpathogenic Gram-positive rods that are predominantly isolated from the vagina of healthy premenopausal women (Reid and Burton, 2002). Some Lactobacilli produce bacteriocins and other compounds like hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid as a means of protecting the vagina against pathogenic/opportunistic microorganisms (Ocana et al, 1999). The protective role of Lactobacilli in the vagina becomes evident when their concentrations drop as a result of the use of antibiotics or in an immune-compromised host This drop in concentration favors colonization by intestinal bacteria and the overgrowth of opportunistic organisms (Reid and Burton, 2002; Martin et al, 2008)
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