Characterisation of colonisation properties of vaginal lactobacilli from healthy Indian women: Implications for identification of potential probiotic candidates

The ability of probiotic bacteria to colonise the target site is considered of utmost importance and used for preliminary screening of potential probiotic candidates. Thirty-eight vaginal Lactobacillus strains isolated from healthy women and characterised by 16S RNA sequencing were assessed for colonisation characteristics including adherence to human vaginal epithelial cells, auto-aggregation and hydrophobicity. No significant difference in adherence (P = 0.384), auto-aggregation (P = 0.282) and hydrophobicity (P = 0.084) abilities between Lactobacillus species was observed, however, significant difference in colonisation characteristics between strains of the same species was noted (P < 0.001). We identified seven Lactobacillus strains that may serve as best candidates for vaginal probiotic development.