Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina

Strong vaginal coloniser, considered a protective bacteria​1​ (for the most part), helps protect against sexually transmitted infections and other pathogens, while helping restore healthy flora after infection/imbalance​2​.

Positive indicator of vaginal health.

L. crispatus is used by the food industry to produce lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose.

Causes positive effect on vaginal cells to support vaginal cell immunity​3​.

Can cause cytolytic vaginosis in certain circumstances, which is an overgrowth, resulting in symptoms like a yeast infection, but yeast treatments don’t work.

L. crispatus has a larger genome that contains a broader array of metabolic machinery, likely allowing it to function under a more diverse subset of environmental conditions​4​.

L. crispatus has also been identified in other habitats, like the vertebrate gastrointestinal tract (28)

Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus acidophilus are sisters to L. crispatus​4​.

L. crispatus relies heavily on fermentation to generate energy. In total, L. crispatus has 85 enzymes related to carbohydrate metabolism and can metabolize glucose, mannose, maltose, trehalose, lactose, galactose, sucrose, and fructose​4​.

L. crispatus can produce L- and D-lactic acid​4​.

The core genome of L. crispatus also contains the gene pyruvate oxidase which converts pyruvate into acetate, generating hydrogen peroxide in the process​4​.

L. crispatus also has the capability to breakdown putrescine, a malodorous amino acid commonly found in vaginal secretions during episodes of bacterial vaginosis (71). We found the core genome of L. crispatus to contain an iron transport system that is absent in the core genome of L. iners. This transport system may allow L. crispatus to sequester the iron released by the host during menses (72), thereby preventing other species, including vaginal pathogens, from acquiring this vital resource. We also found that the core genome of L. crispatus contains a gene encoding lactocepin, a serine protease that has been shown to degrade the proinflammatory chemokine interferon-gamma-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) (45). Our analysis of this gene indicated that it may be experiencing positive selection in L. crispatus, which could reflect adaptation via changes in this function. In vitro tests have demonstrated that colonization of vaginal epithelial cells with L. iners resulted in a more-proinflammatory signaling response from the host tissue than colonization by L. crispatus (22). 

ABLE 2

Functional category and metabolic pathways encoded in the core genome

Functional category/pathwayaNo. of core genes
L. crispatusL. iners
Carbohydrate metabolism8559
    Glycolysis1714
    Citric acid cycle31
    Pentose phosphate pathway1412
    Fructose and mannose metabolism1814
    Galactose metabolism118
    Starch and sucrose metabolism1610
Amino acid metabolism5443
    Ala, Asp, and Glu metabolism1110
    Gly, Ser, and Thr metabolism93
    Cys and Met metabolism85
    Lysine biosynthesis124
    Arginine biosynthesis31
Lipid metabolism2117
Nucleic acid metabolism5156
Metabolism of cofactors and vitamins3327
    Thiamine metabolism53
    Riboflavin metabolism51
    Vitamin B6 metabolism21
    Nicotinate metabolism55
    CoA biosynthesis55
    Folate biosynthesis25
Membrane transporter7054
    ABC transporter3931
    Phosphate transport system2315
    Bacterial secretion system88
Replication and repair4136
    DNA replication1414
    Base excision repair97
    Nucleotide excision repair77
    Mismatch repair1615
    Homologous recombination1919
Transcription45
Translation7879
Peptidoglycan biosynthesis1414

aEntries in bold font represent functional categories while indented entries are specific metabolic pathways within each category. Enzymes can appear in multiple pathways but are only counted once in the functional category total. CoA, coenzyme A.

References

  1. 1.
    Lash AF, Kaplan B. A Study of Doderlein’s Vaginal Bacillus. Journal of Infectious Diseases. Published online April 1, 1926:333-340. doi:10.1093/infdis/38.4.333
  2. 2.
    Fujisawa T, Benno Y, Yaeshima T, Mitsuoka T. Taxonomic Study of the Lactobacillus acidophilus Group, with Recognition of Lactobacillus gallinarum sp. nov. and Lactobacillus johnsonii sp. nov. and Synonymy of Lactobacillus acidophilus Group A3 (Johnson et al. 1980) with the Type Strain of Lactobacillus amylovorus (Nakamura 1981). International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. Published online July 1, 1992:487-491. doi:10.1099/00207713-42-3-487
  3. 3.
    Ravel J, Gajer P, Abdo Z, et al. Vaginal microbiome of reproductive-age women. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Published online June 3, 2010:4680-4687. doi:10.1073/pnas.1002611107
  4. 4.
    France MT, Mendes-Soares H, Forney LJ. Genomic Comparisons of Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus iners Reveal Potential Ecological Drivers of Community Composition in the Vagina. Schloss PD, ed. Appl Environ Microbiol. Published online December 15, 2016:7063-7073. doi:10.1128/aem.02385-16
Condition typeBacteria
Affected systemsReproductive
Sexually TransmissibleYes
Genitourinary Incidencevery common
Age group affected
  • puberty to menopause

Microbial information

Anaerobe / AerobeFacultative anaerobe
Gram stainGram-positive
Best tests to detect
  • PCR
  • Culture
Pathogen of
Commensal of
(Can naturally inhabit, but not necessarily as a healthy addition)
  • Vagina
  • Urinary tract
Optimal growth pH
  • 3.5
  • 4
  • 4.5
Conditions correlated with
  • Cytolytic Vaginosis (CV)
  • Healthy vaginal flora
Cellular adherence capacitiesHigh
Found in healthy vaginasYes
Biofilm-forming capacities
  • High
Cellular Morphology
  • Bacillus (rod-shaped)
Microbe Motility
Colony Colour
Substances Produced
  • Hydrogen peroxide (odourless)
  • Lactic acid (sour)
Sexually TransmissiblePossibly

What are the symptoms of Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina?

What causes Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina?

  • No causes found for Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina, yet.

What are the risk factors associated with Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina?

  • No risk factors for Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina, yet.

How do you diagnose Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina?

  • No diagnoses found for Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina, yet.

How do you treat Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina?

Treatments for Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina 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 Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina?

  • No resistances found for Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina, yet.

What complications are associated with Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina?

  • No complications found for Lactobacillus crispatus in the vagina, yet.

References

1. Cerikcioglu N, Beksac MS. Cytolytic Vaginosis: Misdiagnosed as Candidal Vaginitis. Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Published online 2004:13-16. doi:10.1080/10647440410001672139 2. Wathne B, Holst E, Hovelius B, Mårdh P-A. Vaginal discharge – comparison of clinical, laboratory and microbiological findings. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. Published online January 1994:802-808. doi:10.3109/00016349409072509

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