Improved treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis with fluconazole plus probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14

Author(s)

Martinez, R. C. R. ^[1] ; Franceschini, S. A. ; Patta, M. C. ^[2] ; Quintana, S. M. ^[2] ; Candido, R. C. ^[1] ; Ferreira, J. C. ^[1] ; De Martinis, E. C. P. ^[1] ; Reid, G. ^{[3, 4, 5]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Ciencias Farmaceut Ribeirao Preto, Dept Anal Clin Toxicol & Bromatol, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Dept Obstet & Ginecol, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto - Brazil

^[3] Lawson Hlth Res Inst, Canadian Res & Dev Ctr Probiot, London, ON N6A 4V2 - Canada

^[4] Univ Western Ontario, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, London, ON - Canada

^[5] Univ Western Ontario, Dept Surg, London, ON N6A 3K7 - Canada

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Letters in Applied Microbiology; v. 48, n. 3, p. 269-274, MAR 2009.
• Web of Science Citations: 61

Abstract

To determine the ability of probiotic lactobacilli to improve the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) using a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial. Fifty-five women diagnosed with VVC by vaginal discharge positive for Candida spp. (according to culture method) associated with at least one of the symptoms (itching and burning vaginal feeling, dyspareunia and dysuria), were treated with single dose of fluconazole (150 mg) supplemented every morning for the following 4 weeks with two placebo or two probiotic capsules (containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14). At 4 weeks, the probiotic treated group showed significantly less vaginal discharge associated with any of the above mentioned symptoms (10.3%vs 34.6%; P = 0.03) and lower presence of yeast detected by culture (10.3%vs 38.5%; P = 0.014). This study has shown that probiotic lactobacilli can increase the effectiveness of an anti-fungal pharmaceutical agent in curing disease. This novel finding of probiotic lactobacilli augmenting the cure rate of yeast vaginitis, not only offers an alternative approach to a highly prevalent condition that adversely affects the quality of life of women around the world, but also raises the question of how this combination works. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 06/06595-2 - Effect of use of probiotic lactic acid bacteria on the vaginal microbiota of patients with bacterial and fungal infections
• Grantee: Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martinis
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants