{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T20:41:06Z","timestamp":1773866466543,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2013,6,5]],"date-time":"2013-06-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1370390400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Certain anaerobic bacterial species tend to predominate the vaginal flora during bacterial vaginosis (BV), with Gardnerella vaginalis being the most common. However, the exact role of G. vaginalis in BV has not yet been determined. The main goal of  this study was to test the hypothesis that G. vaginalis is an early colonizer, paving the way  for intermediate (e.g., Fusobacterium nucleatum) and late colonizers (e.g.,  Prevotella bivia). Theoretically, in order to function as an early colonizer, species would need to be able to adhere to vaginal epithelium, even in the presence of vaginal lactobacilli. Therefore, we quantified adherence of G. vaginalis and other BV-associated bacteria to an inert surface pre-coated with Lactobacillus crispatus using a new Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) methodology. We found that  G. vaginalis had the greatest capacity to adhere in the presence of L. crispatus. Theoretically, an early colonizer would contribute to the adherence and\/or growth of additional species, so we next quantified the effect of G. vaginalis biofilms on the adherence and growth of other BV-associated species by quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) technique. Interestingly, G. vaginalis derived a growth benefit from the addition of a second species, regardless of the species. Conversely, G. vaginalis biofilms enhanced the growth of P. bivia, and to a minor extent of F. nucleatum. These results contribute to our understanding of BV biofilm formation and the progression of the disorder.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms140612004","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,6,5]],"date-time":"2013-06-05T12:40:57Z","timestamp":1370436057000},"page":"12004-12012","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":93,"title":["Interactions between Lactobacillus crispatus and Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)-Associated Bacterial Species in Initial Attachment and Biofilm Formation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Ant\u00f3nio","family":"Machado","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Biological Engineering, IBB\u2014Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering,  University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar 4710-057, Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, USA"}]},{"given":"Kimberly","family":"Jefferson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, USA"}]},{"given":"Nuno","family":"Cerca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Biological Engineering, IBB\u2014Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering,  University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar 4710-057, Braga, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,6,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1105","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2672.2011.04977.x","article-title":"The etiology of bacterial vaginosis","volume":"110","author":"Turovskiy","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. 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