ABSTRACT
More than 20 years ago, the survey of activities in medically assisted reproduction (MAR) was initiated in Europe and resulted in cross-sectional annual reports, as issued by the European IVF Monitoring (EIM) consortium of ESHRE. Over time, these reports mirror the continuous development of the technologies and contribute to increased transparency and surveillance of reproductive care. Meanwhile, progressive changes of existing treatment modalities and the introduction of new technologies resulted in the need of a cumulative approach in the assessment of treatment outcomes, which warrants a prospective cycle-by-cycle data registry on MAR activities, including fertility preservation. This change in the paradigm of data collection in Europe towards the construction of cumulative outcome results is expected to generate additional insights into cross-institutional but also cross-border movements of patients and reproductive material. This is essential to improve vigilance and surveillance. The European monitoring of Medically Assisted Reproduction (EuMAR) project, co-funded by the European Union, will establish a registry for the transnational collection of prospective cycle-by-cycle MAR and fertility preservation data on the basis of an individual reproductive care code (IRCC). The rationale for the project and the objectives are presented here.
ABSTRACT
Lactobacilli in the vaginal tract are essential to protect against microbial infections. We therefore focused on isolating vaginal lactobacilli from pregnant women and testing their functional properties. Lactobacilli were isolated from 50 vaginal swabs and the purified isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Functional properties (antimicrobial activity, organic acids and hydrogen peroxide production, antibiotic susceptibility, auto-aggregation, and hydrophobicity) of selected isolates were tested. Lactobacilli (41 strains) were identified in 58% of swabs with a predominance of Lactobacillus crispatus (48%) followed by L. jensenii (21%), L. rhamnosus (14%), L. fermentum (10%), and L. gasseri (7%). The highest antibacterial activity was determined for L. fermentum and L. rhamnosus. Strong anti-Candida activity was observed for strains L. crispatus, L. fermentum, and L. rhamnosus. Strain L. jensenii 58C possessed the highest production of hydrogen peroxide (6.32 ± 0.60 mg/l). The best lactic acid producer was strain L. rhamnosus 72A (11.6 ± 0.2 g/l). All strains were resistant to fluconazole and metronidazole. The highest auto-aggregation was observed for strain L. crispatus 51A (98.8 ± 0.1% after 24 h). Strain L. rhamnosus 68A showed the highest hydrophobicity (69.1 ± 1.4%). Strains L. fermentum and L. rhamnosus showed high antibacterial activity and hydrophobicity, and strains L. crispatus possessed high auto-aggregation and anti-Candida activity. Thus, these strains alone or in a mix could be used for the preparation of probiotic products for treatment and prevention of vulvovaginal infections of pregnant and non-pregnant women.
