The effect of vaginal microbial communities on colonization by Staphylococcus aureus with the gene for toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1): a case-control study.

Menstrual toxic shock syndrome is associated with vaginal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus strains that encode toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (tst+). Interestingly, a small proportion of women are colonized by S. aureus tst+ but do not have symptoms of toxic shock syndrome.

Vaginal microbiota of adolescent girls prior to the onset of menarche resemble those of reproductive-age women.

Unlabelled: Puberty is an important developmental stage wherein hormonal shifts mediate the physical and physiological changes that lead to menarche, but until now, the bacterial composition of vaginal microbiota during this period has been poorly characterized. We performed a prospective longitudinal study of perimenarcheal girls to gain insight into the timing and sequence of changes that occur in the vaginal and vulvar microbiota during puberty. The study enrolled 31 healthy, premenarcheal girls between the ages of 10 and 12 years and collected vaginal and vulvar swabs quarterly for up to 3 years.

Persistence survey of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 producing Staphylococcus aureus and serum antibodies to this superantigen in five groups of menstruating women.

Background: Menstrual Toxic Shock Syndrome (mTSS) is thought to be associated with the vaginal colonization with specific strains of Staphylococcus aureus TSST-1 in women who lack sufficient antibody titers to this toxin. There are no published studies that examine the seroconversion in women with various colonization patterns of this organism. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the persistence of Staphylococcus aureus colonization at three body sites (vagina, nares, and anus) and serum antibody to toxic shock syndrome toxin-producing Staphylococcus aureus among a small group of healthy, menstruating women evaluated previously in a larger study.

The vaginal bacterial communities of Japanese women resemble those of women in other racial groups.

To determine whether different racial groups shared common types of vaginal microbiota, we characterized the composition and structure of vaginal bacterial communities in asymptomatic and apparently healthy Japanese women in Tokyo, Japan, and compared them with those of White and Black women from North America. The composition of vaginal communities was compared based on community profiles of terminal restriction fragments of 16S rRNA genes and phylogenetic analysis of cloned 16S rRNA gene sequences of the numerically dominant bacterial populations. The types of vaginal communities found in Japanese women were similar to those of Black and White women.

Vaginal microbiota of women with frequent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is an insidious infection that afflicts a large proportion of women of all ages, and 5 to 8% of affected women experience recurrent VVC (RVVC). The aim of this study was to explore the possible importance of vaginal bacterial communities in reducing the risk of RVVC. The species composition and diversity of microbial communities were evaluated for 42 women with and without frequent VVC based on profiles of terminal restriction fragment polymorphisms of 16S rRNA genes and phylogenetic analysis of cloned 16S rRNA gene sequences from the numerically dominant microbial populations.

Prevalence of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1)-producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus and antibody to TSST-1 among healthy Japanese women.

Many cases of neonatal toxic shock syndrome (TSS)-like exanthematous disease but few cases of menstrual TSS (mTSS) have been reported in Japan. We determined the prevalence of mucosal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus and of positive antibodies to TSS toxin 1 (TSST-1) among 209 healthy Japanese women in Tokyo. S.

Differences in the composition of vaginal microbial communities found in healthy Caucasian and black women.

The maintenance of a low pH in the vagina through the microbial production of lactic acid is known to be an important defense against infectious disease in reproductive age women. Previous studies have shown that this is largely accomplished through the metabolism of lactic acid bacteria, primarily species of Lactobacillus. Despite the importance of this defense mechanism to women's health, differences in the species composition of vaginal bacterial communities among women have not been well defined, nor is it known if and how these differences might be linked to differences in the risk of infection.

Structural and functional properties of antibodies to the superantigen TSST-1 and their relationship to menstrual toxic shock syndrome.

Menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS) is an acute febrile disease accompanied by hypotension and multiple organ involvement. Infection with Staphylococcus aureus producing the superantigen toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) vaginally is necessary; however, only a small fraction of those infected with TSST-1 producing bacteria actually develop mTSS, suggesting that host factors modulate disease susceptibility. Serum antibodies to the toxin protect against development of the syndrome, but not all antibodies can neutralize the toxin.

Prevalence of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1-producing Staphylococcus aureus and the presence of antibodies to this superantigen in menstruating women.

Menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS) is thought to be associated with colonization with toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1)-producing Staphylococcus aureus in women with insufficient antibody titers. mTSS has been associated with menstruation and tampon use, and although it is rare, the effects can be life threatening. It remains of interest because of the widespread use of tampons, reported to be about 70% of women in the United States, Canada, and much of Western Europe.

Detection of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm on tampons and menses components.

Culturing has detected vaginal Staphylococcus aureus in 10%-20% of women. Because growth mode can affect virulence expression, this study examined S. aureus-biofilm occurrence in 44 paired-tampon and vaginal-wash-specimens from 18 prescreened women, using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).