Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese
  • Polish
  • Turkish

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gynecology
  3. Using recombinant endolysins to treat bacterial vaginosis
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic pages
    • Experts' point of view
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
  • Useful documents
    • How to talk about
    • Infographics
    • IBS Diagnosis Check List
    • Patients Stories

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
General Medicine

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gynecology
  3. Using recombinant endolysins to treat bacterial vaginosis
Gynecology

Using recombinant endolysins to treat bacterial vaginosis

Vaginosis

A study has shown that by using recombinant endolysins encoded on a prophage it is possible to eliminate the bacterial biofilm responsible for bacterial vaginosis without damaging the beneficial bacteria of the vaginal microbiota. These are promising results.

Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
General Medicine
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic pages
    • Experts' point of view
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
  • Useful documents
    • How to talk about
    • Infographics
    • IBS Diagnosis Check List
    • Patients Stories

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your colleagues might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail

About this article

Created 21 April 2021
Updated 06 March 2024

35% Only 1 in 3 women know that bacterial vaginosis is associated with an imbalance in the vaginal microbiota

Learn more:
What women know (and don't know) about their vaginal microbiota

Bacterial vaginosis is a quite common disorder in women of reproductive age, with a prevalence estimated at 10%–30% worldwide. It is associated with an increased risk of infertility and complications during pregnancy. It is also a risk factor for contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The condition is characterized by an imbalance of the vaginal microbiota and a biofilm formed on the vaginal epithelium, which is initiated and dominated by Gardnerella bacteria. This biofilm is frequently refractory to antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics are effective in quickly reducing symptoms but are associated with a recurrence rate of up to 60% within six months of treatment. A new study has investigated (sidenote: Endolysins Bacteriophage enzymes that lyse the bacterial wall, allowing the release of phages. )  of the type 1,4-beta-N-acetylmuramidase encoded on Gardnerella (sidenote: Prophages Bacteriophage genomes integrated into the host genome. (Saussereau and Debarbieux 2012) )  as an alternative treatment.

Bactericidal effect 10 times higher than wild type

To this end, the authors generated several engineered endolysins via domain shuffling. They compared their bactericidal activity on Gardnerella strains to that of wild-type endolysins. The bactericidal activity of the recombinant endolysins was 10 times that of any wild-type enzyme. When tested against a panel of 20 Gardnerella strains (from (sidenote: G. vaginalis, G. leopoldii, G. piotii and G. swidsinskii ) ), the most active endolysin, called PM-477, showed superior efficacy compared to the antibiotics tested (metronidazole, tinidazole, clindamycin). Furthermore, PM-477 had no effect on beneficial lactobacilli or other species of vaginal bacteria. According to the authors, PM-477 is highly selective for Gardnerella and kills strains of each of the four main species without affecting beneficial lactobacilli or other species typical of the vaginal microbiota. The effect of PM-477 was confirmed by microscopy in mixed cultures of Gardnerella and lactobacilli. PM-477 (at 460 µg/mL for 5 h) lysed G. vaginalis and G. swidsinskii cells in monoculture, but also selectively lysed them in mixed cultures alongside lactobacilli without affecting the latter.

Efficacy in patient samples

To go further and analyze the efficacy of PM-477 in a physiological environment closely resembling the in vivo situation, the researchers treated vaginal swabs from 15 bacterial vaginosis patients and analyzed them by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). They showed that in 13 of the 15 cases, PM-477 eradicated the Gardnerella bacterium and physically dissolved the biofilms without affecting the vaginal microbiota. For the authors, endolysins are a promising therapeutic alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis. This is a significant finding since antibiotics are frequently a cause of recurrence and resistance in the treatment of the disease.

Sources

Landlinger C, Tisakova L, Oberbauer V, Engineered Phage Endolysin Eliminates Gardnerella Biofilm without Damaging Beneficial Bacteria in Bacterial Vaginosis Ex Vivo. Pathogens. 2021 Jan 8;10(1):54.

Saussereau E, Debarbieux L. Bacteriophages in the experimental treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in mice. Adv Virus Res. 2012;83:123-141. 

Tags
Microbiome Flora
    Created 21 April 2021
    Updated 06 March 2024

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Vaginosis

    Content type

    News
    Gynecology

    Dysbiosis-related infections of the lower genital tract

    Unlike the urinary microbiota and many other microbiotas, the vaginal microbiota, when healthy, has l...

    Find out more

    Urinary area: efficacy to be confirmed in clinical trials

    Since lower urogenital infections seem closely related to a dysbiosis of the urinary or vaginal micro...

    Find out more

    Urinary tract infections

    Infections of the lower urogenital tract are extremely common amongst women: seven out of ten women w...

    Find out more

    Dysbiosis-related urinary tract infections

    The microbiota seems to play an important role in infections of the lower urogenital system, whether ...

    Find out more

    The infant's gut at the heart of immunity

    By Dr Travis J. De Wolfe

    Find out more

    Factors influencing microbiota development and maturation of the immune system early in life

    Birth represents the biggest substantial environmen...

    Find out more

    From diarrhea to chronic diseases: the well-documented consequences of antibiotic-related gut microbiota dysbiosis

    Antibiotic treatment may sometimes take place witho...

    Find out more

    Urogenital microbiota: the spectrum of mycosis or urinary tract infections after each antibiotic treatment

    A vicious circle. Vaginal tract infections such as ...

    Find out more

    Continue reading

    News
    14.05.2025

    Towards worldwide redefinition of healthy vaginal microbiota

    Read the article
    02.05.2025

    A new lens on chlamydia: beyond behavior, into the microbiome

    Read the article
    02.04.2025

    A type of vaginal dysbiosis for each type of infertility?

    Read the article
    13.02.2025

    How do I deal with menopause?

    Read the article
    13.02.2025

    “I'm 45, why do I have all these symptoms now (hot flashes, insomnia, dryness, swollen belly)? Is it menopause?”

    Read the article
    13.02.2025

    Will having too much sex affect my pH, or give me vaginitis or thrush? Or will it give me a STI?

    Read the article
    13.02.2025

    "Help, I don't want to have sex anymore: I'm too tired, stressed, I don't feel sexy, what is wrong with me?"

    Read the article
    13.02.2025

    Why is it itching down there?

    Read the article
    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese
    • Polish
    • Turkish

    Browse the site

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    14.05.2025

    Towards worldwide redefinition of healthy vaginal microbiota

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    The microbial-metabolic nexus in colon cancer

    Read the article
    02.05.2025

    A new lens on chlamydia: beyond behavior, into the microbiome

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    © 2025 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Legal notice
    • GTU
    • Data protection policy
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    • Digital accessibility : partially compliant
    Biocodex logo