“Ezakiella massiliensis” sp. nov., a new bacterial species isolated from human female genital tract

AbstractWe report the primary characteristics of “Ezakiella massiliensis” strain Marseille P2951 (= DSM 103122 = CSUR P2951), a new member of the Ezakiella genus. Strain Marseille P2951 was isolated from a vaginal sample taken from an asymptomatic 20-year-old woman who had sex with another woman who had bacterial vaginosis

Inhibition of sialidase activity and cellular invasion by the bacterial vaginosis pathogen Gardnerella vaginalis

Bacterial vaginosis is a genital tract infection, thought to be caused by transformation of a lactobacillus-rich flora to a dysbiotic microbiota enriched in mixed anaerobes. The most prominent of these is Gardnerella vaginalis (GV), an anaerobic pathogen that produces sialidase enzyme to cleave terminal sialic acid residues from human glycans. Notably, high sialidase activity is associated with preterm birth and low birthweight. We explored the potential of the sialidase inhibitor Zanamavir against GV whole cell sialidase activity using methyl-umbelliferyl neuraminic acid (MU-NANA) cleavage assays, with Zanamavir causing a 30% reduction in whole cell GV sialidase activity (p < 0.05). Furthermore, cellular invasion assays using HeLa cervical epithelial cells, infected with GV, demonstrated that Zanamivir elicited a 50% reduction in cell association and invasion (p < 0.05). Our data thus highlight that pharmacological sialidase inhibitors are able to modify BV-associated sialidase activity and influence host-pathogen interactions and may represent novel therapeutic adjuncts

Coxiella burnetii, the Agent of Q Fever, Replicates within Trophoblasts and Induces a Unique Transcriptional Response

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterium typically found in myeloid cells. The infection is a source of severe obstetrical complications in humans and cattle and can undergo chronic evolution in a minority of pregnant women. Because C. burnetii is found in the placentas of aborted fetuses, we investigated the possibility that it could infect trophoblasts. Here, we show that C. burnetii infected and replicated in BeWo trophoblasts within phagolysosomes. Using pangenomic microarrays, we found that C. burnetii induced a specific transcriptomic program. This program was associated with the modulation of inflammatory responses that were shared with inflammatory agonists, such as TNF, and more specific responses involving genes related to pregnancy development, including EGR-1 and NDGR1. In addition, C. burnetii stimulated gene networks organized around the IL-6 and IL-13 pathways, which both modulate STAT3. Taken together, these results revealed that trophoblasts represent a protective niche for C. burnetii. The activation program induced by C. burnetii in trophoblasts may allow bacterial replication but seems unable to interfere with the development of normal pregnancy. Such pathophysiologocal processes should require the activation of immune placental cells associated with trophoblasts

“Vaginella massiliensis” gen. nov., sp. nov., a new genus cultivated from human female genital tract

We relate the main characteristics of “Vaginella massiliensis” strain Marseille P2517 (= DSM 102346 = CSUR P2517), a new member of the Flavobacteriaceae family. The strain Marseille P2517 was cultivated from a vaginal swab from a healthy 22-year-old woman

‘Peptoniphilus vaginalis’ sp. nov., a new species isolated from human female genital tract

We relate here the main characteristics of ‘Peptoniphilus vaginalis’, strain KHD2 (= CSUR P0125 = DSM 101742), a new member of the Peptoniphilus genus, cultivated from a vaginal sample of a woman with bacterial vaginosis

‘Lascolabacter vaginalis’ strain KHD1, a new bacterial species cultivated from human female genital tract

We present the major characteristics of ‘Lascolabacter vaginalis’ strain KHD1 (= CSUR P0109 = DSM 101752), a new member of the family Prevotellaceae that was cultivated from a vaginal sample of a 33-year-old woman with bacterial vaginosis