Bifidobacterium are considered a probiotic and commensal in the human gut, understood as nonpathogenic, however, there is at least one case report1 of this bacteria being a possible cause of a urinary tract infection. Bifidobacterium may be implicated as a pathogen in some circumstances.
What we know about bifidobacterium
- Anaerobic commensal of human intestine
- Part of healthy flora of the mouth and vagina
- Generally considered non-pathogenic
- Advocated as a probiotic
- Used to reduce diarrhoea
- May have caused sepsis and necrotising pancreatitis and urinary tract infections
- Over 30 species known
- Helps in normal bowel function
- Protects against gut infections
- Decreases gut inflammation
- Decreases symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
- Implicated in case reports of necrotising pancreatitis, sepsis, epidural abscess, pulmonary infection and dental caries
- Other infections may have gone misdiagnosed due to commensal status
- Very slow to grow
- Difficult to identify, best to use rRNA gene sequencing
- May be misdiagnosed as Actinomyces spp.
- If isolated in large quantities from a specimen, should be considered causative agent of infection
- Bifidobacteria UTIs are rare, but have been identified
- Probiotics containing Bifidobacteria should be used carefully
References
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| Condition type | Bacteria |
|---|---|
| Affected systems | |
| Sexually Transmissible | |
| Genitourinary Incidence | |
| Age group affected |
Microbial information
| Anaerobe / Aerobe | Anaerobe |
|---|---|
| Gram stain | Gram-positive |
| Best tests to detect | |
| Pathogen of |
| Commensal of (Can naturally inhabit, but not necessarily as a healthy addition) |
|
| Optimal growth pH | |
| Conditions correlated with |
|
| Cellular adherence capacities | |
| Found in healthy vaginas | Possibly |
| Biofilm-forming capacities | |
| Cellular Morphology |
|
| Microbe Motility | Motile |
| Colony Colour | |
| Substances Produced | |
| Sexually Transmissible |
What are the symptoms of Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections?
What causes Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections?
- No causes found for Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections, yet.
What are the risk factors associated with Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections?
- No risk factors for Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections, yet.
How do you diagnose Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections?
- No diagnoses found for Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections, yet.
How do you treat Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections?
Treatments for Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections are only for practitioners and people who purchased the book Killing BV and Killing BV for men.
Which treatments are likely to be ineffective for Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections?
What complications are associated with Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections?
- No complications found for Bifidobacterium spp. vulvovaginal infections, yet.