Screening of Compounds against Gardnerella vaginalis Biofilms

PLoS One. 2016 Apr 25;11(4):e0154086. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154086. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common infection in reproductive age woman and is characterized by dysbiosis of the healthy vaginal flora which is dominated by Lactobacilli, followed by growth of bacteria like Gardnerella vaginalis. The ability of G. vaginalis to form biofilms contributes to the high rates of recurrence that are typical for BV and which unfortunately make repeated antibiotic therapy inevitable. Here we developed a biofilm model for G. vaginalis and screened a large spectrum of compounds for their ability to prevent biofilm formation and to resolve an existing G. vaginalis biofilm. The antibiotics metronidazole and tobramycin were highly effective in preventing biofilm formation, but had no effect on an established biofilm. The application of the amphoteric tenside sodium cocoamphoacetate (SCAA) led to disintegration of existing biofilms, reducing biomass by 51% and viability by 61% and it was able to increase the effect of metronidazole by 40% (biomass) and 61% (viability). Our data show that attacking the biofilm and the bacterial cells by the combination of an amphoteric tenside with the antibiotic metronidazole might be a useful strategy against BV.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Biofilms*
  • Female
  • Gardnerella vaginalis / drug effects*
  • Humans
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Models, Biological
  • Vaginosis, Bacterial / drug therapy*
  • Vaginosis, Bacterial / microbiology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents

Grants and funding

Authors CA and CM are employed by the commercial company Dr. August Wolff GmbH & Co. KG Arzneimittel. The research, however, was not funded by this company, but instead a grant was applied for by IWD and CA at the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi), Germany. Grant number: KF3134201MD3. http://www.zim-bmwi.de/. Therefore the funders (BMWi) had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors CG, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.