Gardnerella vaginalis hemolysin: Isolation, characterization and in vitro effects on polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Abstract

G. vaginalis is a successful colonizer of the vaginal epithelium in asymptomatic women but is also found in a substantial number of women with bacterial vaginosis. However, its role in bacterial vaginosis remains obscure, probably because of the simultaneous presence of other bacterial species along with G. vaginalis, which may operate in concert with G. vaginalis resulting in the clinical condition of bacterial vaginosis. G. vaginalis produces a beta hemolysis which can be detected on human blood agar, although a bona fide hemolysin had not been previously characterized. Furthermore, the contribution of hemolysin to the virulence of G. vaginalis is unknown … The overall goal of this study was to investigate the potential role of G. vaginalis hemolysin as a leukocytotoxic factor, since the clinical condition known as bacterial vaginosis is characterized by an abundance of G. vaginalis, but a paucity of inflammatory cells …