Lysozyme as a cotreatment during antibiotics use against vaginal infections: An in vitro study on Gardnerella vaginalis biofilm models Authors Olivier Thellin Department of Human Histology-CRPP, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium. Willy Zorzi Department of Human Histology-CRPP, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium. Danièle Zorzi Department of Human Histology-CRPP, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium. Philippe Delvenne Laboratory of Experimental Pathology (LEP), GIGA-Cancer, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium Ernst Heinen Department of Human Histology-CRPP, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium. Benaïssa ElMoualij Department of Human Histology-CRPP, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium. Pascale Quatresooz Department of Human Histology-CRPP, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium. Keywords: Gardnerella vaginalis, recombinant human lysozyme, clindamycin, metronidazole, biofilms in pathogens Abstract Bacterial vaginoses are frequent in women, most of them involving Gardnerella vaginalis. In more than 50% of the cases, usual antibiotic treatments are not capable of eliminating completely the infection, leading to recurrent vaginosis. In addition to the appearance of antibiotic resistance, recurrence can be due to the development of a biofilm by G. vaginalis. In vitro experiments on G. vaginalis biofilms showed that the biofilm protected bacteria from the antibiotic clindamycin. Also, recombinant human lysozyme (rhLys) was able to both degrade biofilms and prevent their formation. This degradation effect persisted whenever other vaginal commensal or pathogenic microorganisms were added to the culture and on each tested clinical biofilm-producing strain of G. vaginalis. The co-administration of rhLys and clindamycin or metronidazole improved both antibiotics’ efficiency and lysozyme-driven biofilm degradation. The comparison of both clindamycin and metronidazole antibacterial spectra showed that metronidazole was preferable to treat vaginosis. This suggests that human lysozyme could be added as an anti-biofilm cotreatment to vaginal antibiotherapy, preferably metronidazole, against Gardnerella vaginalis infection in vivo. [Int Microbiol 19(2): 101-107 (2016)]Keywords: Gardnerella vaginalis · recombinant human lysozyme · clindamycin · metronidazole · biofilms in pathogens Downloads PDF Issue Vol. 19 No. 2 (2016) Section Research Articles License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
