Author(s): Alves, Patrícia Maria ; Castro, J. ; Sousa, Cármen ; Cereija, Tatiana Barros Reis ; Cerca, Nuno
Date: 2014
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/32708
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Project/scholarship: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876-PPCDTI/126270/PT ; info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/COMPETE/126270/PT;
Subject(s): Bacterial vaginosis; Multi-species biofilm; Virulence determination; Science & Technology
Despite the worldwide prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV), its etiology is still unknown. Although BV has been associated with the presence of biofilm, the ability of BV-associated bacteria to form biofilms is still largely unknown. Here, we isolated 30 BV-associated species and characterized their virulence, using an in vitro biofilm formation model. Our data suggests that Gardnerella vaginalis had the highest virulence potential, as defined by higher initial adhesion and cytotoxicity of epithelial cells, as well as the greater propensity to form a biofilm. Interestingly, we also demonstrated that most of the BV-associated bacteria had a tendency to grow as biofilms.
This work was supported by the European Union (FEDER/COMPETE funds) and the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (reference FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-008991 [PTDC/BIA-MIC/098228/2008] and RECI/EBB-EBI/0179/2012 [FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462]).
