TITLE:
Evaluation of an Orally Administered Multistrain Probiotic Supplement in Reducing Recurrences Rate of Bacterial Vaginosis: A Clinical and Microbiological Study
AUTHORS:
Filippo Murina, Franco Vicariotto
KEYWORDS:
Bacterial Vaginosis, Recurrent Vaginitis, Biofilm, Lactobacillus
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Infectious Diseases,
Vol.9 No.3,
July
9,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common urogenital disease in women, affecting about 19% - 24% of them in reproductive ages annually and after treatment, a single recurrence or more may occur in up to 58% of women within 12 months. Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new orally administered food supplement, containing different probiotic strains, on women of childbearing age after the antibiotic treatment when compared with no probiotic intake. Methods: A prospective study was undertaken on 62 patients with BV. All patients were cured with metronidazole vaginal formulations (5 g of 0.75% gel once daily for 5 days or 500 mg ovules once daily for 7 days), then after was offered the option of using a new an orally administered food supplement containing: Lactobacillus plantarum PBS067, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LRH020 and Bifidobacterium animalis lactis BL050, with a total viability of 3 × 109 CFU/capsule (Intimique® Femme). Among these women, 50 accepted to use the new orally food supplement, while 25 patients decided to use only metronidazole (control group). Results: The recurrence rate of BV after treatment with Intimique® Femme was about 16%, compared to 40% in the control group. The incidence of abnormal vaginal microbiota decreased in both groups, but it was significantly higher in the Intimique® Femme group at the end of treatment. Conclusion: This study showed that, in case of BV diagnosis, the complementary treatment of a strain-specific probiotic complex after antibiotics prophylaxis, is mandatory to reduce potential recurrences and cyclic use of further antibiotics.