HEMAGGLUTINATION, ADHERENCE, AND SURFACE-PROPERTIES OF VAGINAL LACTOBACILLUS SPECIES

To address the poorly understood mechanisms through which lactobacilli adhere to vaginal epithelial cells (VECs), 65 wild type lactobacilli isolated from the vaginal flora of young women and 3 American Type Cul ture Collection Lactobacillus strains were studied, Group I isolates ( n = 56) hemagglutinated sheep, rabbit, and human red blood cells (RBCs ) and adhered poorly to VECs, In contrast, all 4 group II strains hema gglutinated sheep and human but not rabbit RBCs, adhered in large numb ers to VECs, and were identical in five phenotypic tests and DNA-DNA h ybridization. Eight other strains (group III) hemagglutinated all RBC types studied, adhered avidly to VECs, and had identical protein and h ybridization patterns but showed heterogeneous enzyme activities, Alth ough most wild type lactobacilli from the vaginal flora of young women adhered poorly to VECs, selected isolates (groups II and III) adhered in large numbers, demonstrated specific and reproducible hemagglutina tion patterns, and may have specific mechanisms of attachment to VECs.