A Double-blind Treatment Study of Bacterial Vaginosis with Normal Vaginal Lactobacilli after an Open Treatment with Vaginal Clindamycin Ovules

A Double-blind Treatment Study of Bacterial Vaginosis with Normal Vaginal Lactobacilli after an Open Treatment with Vaginal Clindamycin Ovules
January 2005
Katarina Eriksson , Bodil Carlsson , Urban Forsum , P-G Larsson
A1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ?lands Centralsjukhus Finland
A2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
A3 Division of Clinical Microbiology Link?ping University
A4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Central Hospital of Sk?vde Sweden
Acta Dermato-Venereologica Volume 85, Number 1 / January 2005
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Abstract:
The expected 4-week cure rate after conventional treatment of bacterial vaginosis are only 65-70%. In an attempt to improve the cure rate by adding probiotic lactobacilli we performed a double-blind placebo-controlled study of adjuvant lactobacilli treatment after an open treatment with vaginal clindamycin ovules. Women with bacterial vaginosis as defined by Amsel's criteria were treated with clindamycin ovules. Vaginal smears were collected and analysed according to Nugent's criteria. During the following menstruation period the women used, as an adjuvant treatment, either lactobacilli-prepared tampons or placebo tampons. The lactobacilli tampons were loaded with a mixture of freeze-dried L. fermentum, L. casei var. rhamnosus and L. gasseri. The cure rate was recorded after the second menstruation period. There was no improvement in the cure rate after treatment with lactobacilli-containing tampons compared to placebo tampons; the cure rates as defined by Amsel's criteria were 56% and 62%, respectively, and 55% and 63%, as defined by Nugent's criteria. This is the first study to report cure rates for women with 'intermediate' wet smear ratings according to Nugent's classification and this group had an overall cure rate of 44%. The cure rate of treatment of bacterial vaginosis was not improved by using lactobacilli-prepared tampons for one menstruation.