Qualitative and Quantitative Detection of Some Bacterial Vaginosis Pathogenic Markers Using Real-Time PCR

Abstract Bacterial vaginosis is a vaginal condition characterized by an abnormal vaginal discharge due to an overgrowth of normal bacteria in the vagina. Women with bacterial vaginosis also have fewer than the usual population of vaginal bacteria, i.e lactobacilli. In this study vaginal samples from 75 women were taken to detect and quantify two putative positive-indicator of bacterial vaginosis namely, Atopobium vaginae and Megasphaera type1, in addition to a negative-indicator of bacterial vaginosis ( Lactobacillus crispatus ) using real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was 34.66% according to scoring system, the most dominant species in patients and in women without the syndrome was L. crispatus (80.76 and 79.59% respectively), but its concentration of 16S rRNA genes was significantly higher in bacterial vaginosis negative women (2.8×10 8 vs. 4.74×10 7 copy/swab). In bacterial vaginosis patients, the highest rDNA concentration was for Megasphaera 1 (3.10×10 8 16S rRNA copy/swab).