Endolysin selectively kills Gardnerella ex vivo in vaginal samples from women with bacterial vaginosis.

Current treatments for bacterial vaginosis (BV) often result in recurrent disease. Gardnerella, a key player in BV pathogenesis, forms biofilms on vaginal epithelial cells. Recombinant endolysins have shown to specifically kill Gardnerella, but not commensal lactobacilli, in vitro.

Evaluation of Metronidazole Resistance of Vaginal Swab Isolates from South African Women Treated for Bacterial Vaginosis.

: The high recurrence rate of bacterial vaginosis (BV) after antibiotic treatment is at least partially attributed to resistant bacteria. The CAPRISA 083 (CAP083) study investigated the influence of metronidazole (MTZ) treatment on the vaginal microbiome in 56 South African women diagnosed with BV. To explore the etiology of recurrent BV in this cohort, we retrospectively analyzed vaginal swabs collected in CAP083 before and after MTZ treatment.

Exploiting the Anti-Biofilm Effect of the Engineered Phage Endolysin PM-477 to Disrupt In Vitro Single- and Dual-Species Biofilms of Vaginal Pathogens Associated with Bacterial Vaginosis.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most frequent vaginal infection in women of reproductive age. It is caused by the overgrowth of anaerobic vaginal pathogens, such as , , and , which are vaginal pathogens detected during the early stages of incident BV and have been found to form multi-species biofilms. Treatment of biofilm-associated infections, such as BV, is challenging.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Microbiota in Bacterial Vaginosis Using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization.

Background: Testing of antibiotic resistance of intact vaginal microbiota in pure culture is not feasible.

Methods: Metronidazole, antiseptic octenisept, antimycotic ciclopirox, bacterial probiotic , yeast probiotic -phage-endolysin named phagolysin and phagolysin in combination with probiotics were tested for bacteriolytic activity. Included were vaginal swabs from 38 random women with Amsel-confirmed bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Preclinical Data on the -Specific Endolysin PM-477 Indicate Its Potential to Improve the Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis through Enhanced Biofilm Removal and Avoidance of Resistance.

Antibiotics are the mainstay of therapy for bacterial vaginosis (BV). However, the rate of treatment failure in patients with recurrent BV is about 50%. Herein, we investigated potential mechanisms of therapy failure, including the propensity of resistance formation and biofilm activity of metronidazole (MDZ), clindamycin (CLI), and PM-477, a novel investigational candidate that is a genetically engineered endolysin with specificity for bacteria of the genus .

Natural Bred ε-Phages Have an Improved Host Range and Virulence against Uropathogenic over Their Ancestor Phages.

Alternative treatments for infections are urgently needed, and phage therapy is a promising option where antibiotics fail, especially for urinary tract infections (UTI). We used wastewater-isolated phages to test their lytic activity against a panel of 47 strains reflecting the diversity of strains found in UTI, including sequence type 131, 73 and 69. The plaquing host range (PHR) was between 13 and 63%.