Significance of the changes of vaginal lactobacilli in bacterial vaginosis in pregnant women

Objective To explore the significance of the changes of vaginal lactobacilli in normal pregnant women and those with bacterial vaginosis(BV). Methods A total of 309 pregnant women, including 50 pregnant women with bacterial vaginosis, were randomly selected. Lactobacilli isolated from the vaginas of pregnant women were identified by biochemical methods. The distribution of lactobacilli in the vaginas of pregnant women was observed. The ability to produce H 2O 2 and decrease the culture environment PH among four common lactobacilli in the vaginas of pregnant women was also compared. Results The detectable rate of lactobacilli in vaginas of the normal pregnant women was obviously higher than that of women with bacterial vaginosis. The predominant lactobacilli colonizing in the vaginas of the normal pregnant women were L. crispatus and L. acidophilus , most of which could produce H 2O 2. The frequency of H 2O 2 positive isolation in the vaginas of pregnant women was significantly higher than that of BV. Conclusion The study indicates that H 2O 2 positive lactobacilli plays an important role in the protection against vaginal infections in pregnant women.