Identification of vaginal lactobacilli from asymptomatic women.

In the present work, carried out by means of phenotypic and genotypic tests, it has been demonstrated that none of the vaginal lactobacilli isolated from asymptomatic women were genetically close to L. acidophilus ATCC 4356. Strains of homofermentative lactobacilli were identified as Lactobacillus gasseri, L. jensenii and L. crispatus, while in the heterofermentative only one strain was classified as L. fermentum. Moreover a genetically homologous group of heterofermentative lactobacilli, that could represent a new species, were evidenced.