Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28103868›Full record

ArticleBMC women's health2017

Probiotics for vaginal health in South Africa: what is on retailers' shelves?

Anna-Ursula Happel, Shameem Z Jaumdally, Tanya Pidwell, Tracy Cornelius, Heather B Jaspan, Remy Froissart, Shaun L Barnabas, Jo-Ann S Passmore

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC women's health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Review
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Anna-Ursula HappelInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Medical School, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-3658-8638
Shameem Z JaumdallyInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Medical School, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
Tanya PidwellInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Medical School, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
Tracy CorneliusInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Medical School, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
Heather B JaspanInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Medical School, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
Remy FroissartUMR 5290 MIVEGEC, CNRS IRD Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Shaun L BarnabasInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Medical School, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
Jo-Ann S PassmoreInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Medical School, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa. Jo-ann.Passmore@uct.ac.za.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundProbiotics are widely used to improve gastrointestinal (GI) health, but they may also be useful to prevent or treat gynaecological disorders, including bacterial vaginosis (BV) and candidiasis. BV prevalence is high in South Africa and is associated with increased HIV risk and pregnancy complications. We aimed to assess the availability of probiotics for vaginal health in retail stores (pharmacies, supermarkets and health stores) in two major cities in South Africa.

methodsA two-stage cluster sampling strategy was used in the Durban and Cape Town metropoles. Instructions for use, microbial composition, dose, storage and manufacturers' details were recorded.

resultsA total of 104 unique probiotics were identified in Cape Town and Durban (66.4% manufactured locally). Cape Town had more products than Durban (94 versus 59 probiotics), although 47% were common between cities (49/104). Only four products were explicitly for vaginal health. The remainder were for GI health in adults (51.0%) or infants (17.3%). The predominant species seen overall included Lactobacillus acidophilus (53.5%), L. rhamnosus (37.6%), Bifidobacterium longum ssp. longum (35.6%) and B. animalis ssp. lactis (33.7%). Products for vaginal health contained only common GI probiotic species, with a combination of L. acidophilus/B. longum ssp. longum/B. bifidum, L. rhamnosus/L. reuteri or L. rhamnosus alone, despite L. crispatus, L. gasseri, and L. jensenii being the most common commensals found in the lower female reproductive tract.

conclusionThis survey highlights the paucity of vaginal probiotics available in South Africa, where vaginal dysbiosis is common. Most vaginal products contained organisms other than female genital tract commensals.

Indexed as

Consumer BehaviorBifidobacterium animalisBifidobacterium longumCandidiasisCommerceCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHealth StatusHumansLacticaseibacillus rhamnosusLactobacillus acidophilusProbioticsSouth AfricaSurveys and QuestionnairesVaginaVaginosis, BacterialLactobacillus spp.ProbioticsVaginalWomen

Identifiers

PMID28103868
PMCPMC5248517

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.