vaginal swabs
Recently Published Documents

Background Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a gram-positive bacterium and its vaginal colonization is associated with preterm births and neonatal sepsis. Thus, routine screening of GBS in prenatal care before the onset of labour is recommended. Recently chromogenic media have been develop and are found to be useful in rapid and sensitive screening for GBS in vaginal swabs. In the present study we evaluated the performance of chromogenic media for the detection of GBS in vaginal swabs of pregnant Indian women near term. Methodology In this study 201 vaginal swab samples were collected from pregnant women. Swabs were inoculated in chromogenic media (carrot broth).The positive and negative cultures were inoculated on Blood agar and Crome agar plates. The colonies were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing and gene-specific PCR for confirmation. CAMP and BEA were used for biochemical confirmation. PCR was done on genomic DNA isolated from uncultured vaginal swabs. Result 20/201(9.9%) vaginal swab samples were positive in the carrot broth. 17/20 (85%) and 19/20 (95%) of these samples yielded colonies on Blood agar and Crome agar respectively. Of the 181 carrot broth negative samples 1(0.5%) and 38 (20.9%) yielded colonies on Blood agar and crome agar plates respectively. However 16s rRNA sequencing revealed that none of the 20 carrot broth positive cultures were that of GBS and had sequence similarities to the Enterococcus faecalis. This was also confirmed by using gene specific PCR and BEA positivity. Furthermore, Enterococcus faecalis was detected by PCR in DNA isolated from 57 uncultured vaginal swabs samples, GBS could be detected by PCR only in 4 samples. Conclusion Carrot Broth-based culture can lead to false-positive detection due to the presence of Enterococcus faecalis. Keywords: Streptococcus agalactiae, Infection, PCR, pregnant women, Carrot Broth, Blood agar, Crome agar, Preterm birth, Sepsis

Vaginal malodour is a sign of dysbiosis. The biogenic amines (BAs) cadaverine, putrescine and tyramine are known to be causative compounds. Recent reports suggest these compounds produced by pathogens might have a role beyond causing malodour; namely inhibiting the growth of lactobacilli bacteria that are crucial in the maintenance of vaginal homeostasis. The aim of this study was to identify whether certain lactobacilli strains could reduce BAs and to evaluate how Lactobacillus species were affected by these compounds. Using LC–MS and HPLC-UV, five Lactobacillus crispatus strains were identified as being capable of significantly reducing BAs from the media under in vitro conditions. Through 16S rRNA gene sequencing of vaginal swabs exposed to Bas, cadaverine was found to reduce the relative abundance of lactobacilli. When L. crispatus was exposed to media supplemented with BAs with an HCl adjusted lower pH, its growth was enhanced, demonstrating the relevance of the maintenance of an acidic vaginal environment. If strains are to be developed for probiotic application to alleviate bacterial vaginosis and other conditions affecting large numbers of women worldwide, their ability to adapt to Bas and regulate pH should be part of the experimentation.

This study was conducted with an objective to find the prevalence of extended spectrum betalactamase (ESBL) and metallo betalactamase (MBL) in Acinetobacter species. It was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Sardar Patel Medical college, Bikaner from Feb 2018 to Feb.2019. in various clinical specimens including urine, pus, blood, vaginal swabs, respiratory samples, and various body fluids were processed Acinetobacter species isolates were identified by standard protocols. Antibiotic sensitivity testing for all isolates was done using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Disc potentiation test was performed to check ESBL and MBL production in these bacteria. Maximum ESBL and MBL positive isolates of Acinetobacter species were observed among E.T. tube samples. Early detection, stringent antibiotic policies, and compliance towards infection control practices are the best defenses against this organisms.

This study was conducted in Rama Medical College Hospital & Research Centre. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The study was conducted from January 2016 to December 2016. A total 50 high vaginal swabs were collected from pregnant women admitted to the labour room after gestation. Vaginal swabs collected from high vagina using sterile cotton swabs (Himedia, Mumbai) and transported to the laboratory and inoculated into enrichment broth, (Todd Hewitt Broth) and incubated at 370 C for 18-24 hours. After incubation sample were plated onto Blood agar and MacConkey agar (Himedia, Mumbai) and incubated aerobically at 370 C for 18-24 hours. The isolates were identified based on colony appearance, gram stain, and standard biochemical test obtained from (Himedia, Mumbai). Out of 50 women, 16 (32%) were primigravida 34 (68%) were multigravida. Number of pathogenic growth were 31 (62%). The maximum number of aerobic vaginitis cases fell in the age group of 20-25 years followed by 26-30 and 30-35. The common pathogenic isolates in this study Candida, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, Coagulase negative Staphylococcus and Enterococcus species. The results of present study showed a high occurrence of Candida among pregnant women. There was a high prevalence of vaginal candidiasis among multigravida, women at the third trimester and those between age group 20 to 25 and 3 samples of aerobic vaginitis with polymicrobial growth. This study did not show any Group B Streptococcus. In this study were found most common sensitive drugs among all microbes– Gentamycin, Amikacin, Netilmicin, Amoxycillin/clavulanic acid, Piperacillin/tazobactam, Imipenem, Meropenem, Tigecycline, Colistin, Polymyxin B. Cotrimoxazole, Ceftriaxone, Ceftazidime, Cefoxitine, Teicoplanin, Levofloxacin, Vancomycin, Ampicillin, Penicillin, Tetracyclin, Aztreonam.

OBJECTIVES:   The aim of this study was to determine the prevalent aerobic vaginal bacteria and their antibiogram to commonly prescribed antibiotics for the treatment of aerobic vaginitis (AV).  METHODOLOGY:  A total of 200 high vaginal swabs (HVS) samples were collected from different AV suspected patients visiting Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and processed for identification of bacterial isolates followed by antibiotic susceptibility patterns as per CLSI protocols.  RESULTS:  Out of 200 clinical samples, 70 (35%) HVS isolates yielded bacterial growth. Of the isolates, E.coli was the common pathogen 36 (51.4%) followed by S.aureus 20 (28.5%), Enterobacter spp 08 (11.4%), Pseudomonas spp 04 (5.7%) and Citrobacter spp 02 (2.8%). The highest prevalence was observed in the age group of 21-35 years (31.4%) followed by age groups 16-20 years (25.7%) and 26-30 years. S.aureus isolates (n=20) were resistant to ciprofloxacin (90%), cephradine (70%), erythromycin (70%), gentamicin (50%) and cefotaxime (40%) while 1 (5%) of each isolate was resistant to methicillin and vancomycin. Majority of the gram-negative isolates (n=50) were resistant to cotrimoxazole, cephalosporins, quinolones, aminoglycosides and susceptible to carbapenems, tigecycline, sulbactam and tazobactam.  CONCLUSION:  Aerobic vaginitis should be treated very selectively in order not to kill the beneficial bacteria. Before treating AV, the causative agents should be accurately identified and tested for drug susceptibility patterns and empirical antibiotic therapy should be avoided.

Objective To determine whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is present in the vagina of women diagnosed with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Study design The study was conducted prospectively in a university affiliated hospital. Forty-one women of reproductive age whose nasopharyngeal PCR test were positive for SARS-CoV-2 and clinically diagnosed with pneumonia were included in the study. Vaginal swabs were obtained for SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests when the patients were admitted to the inpatient service before pneumonia treatment was initiated. Results Vaginal swab samples of 38 patients were analysed with SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests. None of the vaginal swabs were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 does not infect the vagina of women diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

AbstractSteroid hormones are one of the presumed modulators of Lactobacillus abundance in the vaginal epithelium. We set out to characterize the vaginal microbiome (VMB) and also provide an in-depth understanding of the relative contribution of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P1) in shaping the vaginal microbiome of Nigerian women (n = 38) who experienced both uncomplicated term delivery and preterm delivery using samples longitudinally collected during pregnancy (17–21, 27–31, 36–41 weeks gestation) and 6 weeks postpartum. Vaginal swabs and blood samples were aseptically collected. Vaginal swabs were used for microbiome assessment using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Blood samples were used for hormonal measurement using a competitive-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Across several maternal covariates, maternal age, pregnancy status and delivery mode were not significantly associated with the vaginal microbiota whereas maternal E2 level (pE2 = 0.006, Omnibus), and P1 level (pP1 = 0.001, Omnibus) were significantly associated with the vaginal microbiome. E2 and P1 concentrations increased throughout pregnancy commensurately with increasing proportions of L. crispatus (pE2 = 0.036, pP1 = 0.034, Linear Mixed Model). An increasing trend of α-diversity was also observed as pregnancy progressed (pobserved ASV = 0.006, LMM). A compositional microbiome shift from Lactobacillus profile to non-Lactobacillus profile was observed in most postnatal women (pCST IV < 0.001, LMM). Analysis of our data shows a species-specific link between pregnancy steroid hormone concentration and L. crispatus abundance.

Vaginal swabs were obtained from 300 females and examined by the wet preparation and culture methods. Trichomonas vaginalis was identified in 34 female subjects [11.3%] with vaginal discharge. Pregnant women showed the highest rate [15.0%]. The next highest infection rate [12.9%] was noticed during the menstrual years. Women aged over 40 years showed a rate of 3.8%. A total of 235 males were also investigated;150 [63.8%] presented with urethral discharge and 85 [36.2%] were apparently healthy and asymptomatic. Among those with discharge, infection was identified in 11 subjects [7.3%], against 2 [2.4%] among the asymptomatic subjects. The majority of positive cases were in the age group 21-40 years