| Gardnerella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Microscopic picture of vaginal epithelial clue cells coated with Gardnerella vaginalis , magnified 400 times | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Actinomycetota |
| Class: | Actinomycetia |
| Order: | Bifidobacteriales |
| Family: | Bifidobacteriaceae |
| Genus: | Gardnerella Greenwood and Pickett 1980 [1] |
| Species [2] | |
| |
Gardnerella is a genus of Gram-variable-staining facultative anaerobic bacteria. [1]
It is named after Hermann L. Gardner (1912–1982), an American bacteriologist who discovered it in 1955.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection of the vagina caused by excessive growth of bacteria. Common symptoms include increased vaginal discharge that often smells like fish. The discharge is usually white or gray in color. Burning with urination may occur. Itching is uncommon. Occasionally, there may be no symptoms. Having BV approximately doubles the risk of infection by a number of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. It also increases the risk of early delivery among pregnant women.
The Actinomycetota are a diverse phylum of Gram-positive bacteria with high GC content. They can be terrestrial or aquatic. They are of great economic importance to humans because agriculture and forests depend on their contributions to soil systems. In soil they help to decompose the organic matter of dead organisms so the molecules can be taken up anew by plants. While this role is also played by fungi, Actinomycetota are much smaller and likely do not occupy the same ecological niche. In this role the colonies often grow extensive mycelia, like a fungus would, and the name of an important order of the phylum, Actinomycetales, reflects that they were long believed to be fungi. Some soil actinomycetota live symbiotically with the plants whose roots pervade the soil, fixing nitrogen for the plants in exchange for access to some of the plant's saccharides. Other species, such as many members of the genus Mycobacterium, are important pathogens.
Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) is inflammation of the urethra that is not caused by gonorrheal infection.
Gardnerella vaginalis is a species of Gram-variable-staining facultative anaerobic bacteria. The organisms are small non-spore-forming, nonmotile coccobacilli.
Trichomonas vaginalis is an anaerobic, flagellated protozoan parasite and the causative agent of a sexually transmitted disease called trichomoniasis. It is the most common pathogenic protozoan that infects humans in industrialized countries. Infection rates in men and women are similar but women are usually symptomatic, while infections in men are usually asymptomatic. Transmission usually occurs via direct, skin-to-skin contact with an infected individual, most often through vaginal intercourse. The WHO has estimated that 160 million cases of infection are acquired annually worldwide. The estimates for North America alone are between 5 and 8 million new infections each year, with an estimated rate of asymptomatic cases as high as 50%. Usually treatment consists of metronidazole and tinidazole.
Trichomonas is a genus of anaerobic excavate parasites of vertebrates. It was first discovered by Alfred François Donné in 1836 when he found these parasites in the pus of a patient suffering from vaginitis, an inflammation of the vagina. Donné named the genus from its morphological characteristics. The prefix tricho- originates from the Ancient Greek word θρίξ (thrix) meaning hair, describing Trichomonas’s flagella. The suffix -monas, describes its similarity to unicellular organisms from the genus Monas.
A coccobacillus, or bacilluscocco, is a type of bacterium with a shape intermediate between cocci and bacilli. Coccobacilli, then, are very short rods which may be mistaken for cocci.
Clue cells are epithelial cells of the vagina that get their distinctive stippled appearance by being covered with bacteria. The etymology behind the term "clue" cell derives from the original research article from Gardner and Dukes describing the characteristic cells. The name was chosen for its brevity in describing the sine qua non of bacterial vaginosis.
The Bifidobacteriaceae are the only family of bacteria in the order Bifidobacteriales. According to the 16S rRNA-based LTP release 106 published by 'The All-Species Living Tree' Project, the order Bifidobacteriales is a clade nested within the suborder Micrococcineae, also the genus Bifidobacterium is paraphyletic to the other genera within the family, i.e. the other genera are nested within Bifidobacterium.
Atopobium is a genus of Actinomycetota, in the family Coriobacteriaceae. Atopobium species are anaerobic, Gram-positive rod-shaped or elliptical bacteria found as single elements or in pairs or short chains.
Vaginal flora, vaginal microbiota or vaginal microbiome are the microorganisms that colonize the vagina. They were discovered by the German gynecologist Albert Döderlein in 1892 and are part of the overall human flora. The amount and type of bacteria present have significant implications for an individual's overall health. The primary colonizing bacteria of a healthy individual are of the genus Lactobacillus, such as L. crispatus, and the lactic acid they produce is thought to protect against infection by pathogenic species.
Mobiluncus is a genus of Gram-positive, anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria. These bacteria may be stained either Gram-negative or Gram-variable. However, they are classified as Gram-positive rods due to the fact that they possess a Gram-positive cell wall, lack endotoxin and are sensitive to vancomycin, erythromycin and ampicillin, but resistant to colistin.
In enzymology, a hippurate hydrolase (EC 3.5.1.32) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Prevotella is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria.
Alysicarpus vaginalis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to parts of Africa and Asia, and it has been introduced to other continents, such as Australia and the Americas. It is cultivated as a fodder for livestock, for erosion control, and as a green manure. Common names include alyce clover, buffalo clover, buffalo-bur, one-leaf clover, and white moneywort.
Hilda Villegas Castrejón was a Mexican surgeon and a pioneer in electron microscopy. She was a member of the Mexican Academy of Surgery.
A. Murat Eren (Meren) is a computer scientist known for his work on microbial ecology and developing novel, open-source, computational tools for analysis of large data sets.
Melinda Annetta Beck is an American nutritionist and professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she also serves as interim department chair. Her research investigates the relationship between nutrition and immune response to infectious disease. She was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2022.
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