Vaginal Lactobacillus spp. having Anti-fungal Activity against the Candida albicans

초록

Over the past few years, the increase in the incidence of fungal infections in several countries has stimulated the scientific community to pay closer attention to this problem. Candida albicans is a yeast-like fungus, normally present in small numbers, in the oral cavity, lower gastrointestinal tract, and female genital tract. With a breakdown ofhost defenses, the organism can cause diseases ranging from superficial skin or mucous membrane infections, e.g., oral lesions called thrush and vaginal candidiasis, to systemic involvement of multiple organs. Moreover, 75% of women are affected with vaginal candidiasis at least once during their life and 45% of women experience this more than twice a year. Indigenous vaginal Lactobacillus spp. plays important roles in maintaining vaginal health by producing antimicrobial substances or bacteriocins to inhibit undesirable pathogens.