Strong vaginal coloniser, considered a protective bacteria1 (for the most part), helps protect against sexually transmitted infections and other pathogens, while helping restore healthy flora after infection/imbalance2.
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 immunity3.
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 conditions4.
L. crispatus has also been identified in other habitats, like the vertebrate gastrointestinal tract (28)
Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus acidophilus are sisters to L. crispatus4.
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 fructose4.
L. crispatus can produce L- and D-lactic acid4.
The core genome of L. crispatus also contains the gene pyruvate oxidase which converts pyruvate into acetate, generating hydrogen peroxide in the process4.
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/pathwaya | No. of core genes | |
|---|---|---|
| L. crispatus | L. iners | |
| Carbohydrate metabolism | 85 | 59 |
| Glycolysis | 17 | 14 |
| Citric acid cycle | 3 | 1 |
| Pentose phosphate pathway | 14 | 12 |
| Fructose and mannose metabolism | 18 | 14 |
| Galactose metabolism | 11 | 8 |
| Starch and sucrose metabolism | 16 | 10 |
| Amino acid metabolism | 54 | 43 |
| Ala, Asp, and Glu metabolism | 11 | 10 |
| Gly, Ser, and Thr metabolism | 9 | 3 |
| Cys and Met metabolism | 8 | 5 |
| Lysine biosynthesis | 12 | 4 |
| Arginine biosynthesis | 3 | 1 |
| Lipid metabolism | 21 | 17 |
| Nucleic acid metabolism | 51 | 56 |
| Metabolism of cofactors and vitamins | 33 | 27 |
| Thiamine metabolism | 5 | 3 |
| Riboflavin metabolism | 5 | 1 |
| Vitamin B6 metabolism | 2 | 1 |
| Nicotinate metabolism | 5 | 5 |
| CoA biosynthesis | 5 | 5 |
| Folate biosynthesis | 2 | 5 |
| Membrane transporter | 70 | 54 |
| ABC transporter | 39 | 31 |
| Phosphate transport system | 23 | 15 |
| Bacterial secretion system | 8 | 8 |
| Replication and repair | 41 | 36 |
| DNA replication | 14 | 14 |
| Base excision repair | 9 | 7 |
| Nucleotide excision repair | 7 | 7 |
| Mismatch repair | 16 | 15 |
| Homologous recombination | 19 | 19 |
| Transcription | 4 | 5 |
| Translation | 78 | 79 |
| Peptidoglycan biosynthesis | 14 | 14 |
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.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.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.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.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 type | Bacteria |
|---|---|
| Affected systems | Reproductive |
| Sexually Transmissible | Yes |
| Genitourinary Incidence | very common |
| Age group affected |
|
Microbial information
| Anaerobe / Aerobe | Facultative 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 | High |
| Found in healthy vaginas | Yes |
| Biofilm-forming capacities |
|
| Cellular Morphology |
|
| Microbe Motility | |
| Colony Colour | |
| Substances Produced |
|
| Sexually Transmissible | Possibly |
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