Characteristics of the pathogens of Gardnerella vaginitis

Gardnerella vaginitis is an inflammation of the vaginal mucosa caused by Gardnerella and can be transmitted through sexual intercourse. The characteristics of Gardnerella are as follows:

Origin of the name

In the earliest studies, Gardnerella was classified as Haemophilus or Corynebacterium based on its growth surface and morphological characteristics. With the help of modern rRNA sequence and DNA comparison technology, it was independently classified as a genus, and in honor of Gardner and Dukes who first discovered the bacterium in 1955, this genus was named Gardnerella, and the bacterium was officially renamed Gardnerella vaginalis.

form

Gardnerella is a small, short, pleomorphic, Gram-negative rod. It is club-shaped, sometimes filamentous and polymorphic, and often has bipolar staining. It is only 0.4-0.6 nanometers to 1-2 nanometers in size, non-motile, without flagella, and without spores. Many strains have capsules.

Growth environment

Gardnerella can be cultured in the vagina of most healthy women. When examining the vaginal secretions of girls aged 2 months to 15 years, 13.5% of them are asymptomatic carriers. Fresh blood must be given to it for growth and reproduction during artificial culture. The growth temperature is 25℃～42℃, and the optimal growth temperature is 35℃～37℃; the optimal growth pH is 6.0～6.5, and the oxygen requirement is facultative anaerobic.

Pathogenicity

Gardnerella and lactic acid bacteria are normal flora in the vagina. When the pH value of the vagina changes, anaerobic bacteria such as Gardnerella over-multiply and may be 100 to 1000 times more than lactic acid bacteria, which will cause symptoms of vaginitis.