ArticleBMC infectious diseases2026
Distribution of lactic acid bacteria in vaginal samples from Cameroonian women.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNumerous bacteria coexist in the human body and constitute the 'normal microbiota'. Data on the normal vaginal microbiota are limited in Africa, particularly in Cameroon. This study aimed to determine the distribution of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from vaginal samples of Cameroonian women.
methodsThis cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in Douala, Cameroon, from March 2024 to March 2025. It included non-menopausal women aged 18 to 50 years without gynaecological infections. Vaginal swabs were cultured on MRS and M17 media and identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry at the Pasteur Centre for lactic acid bacteria, and by API mini-galleries for pathogenic organisms. Microbiota typing was performed using the Nugent scoring system. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted using SPSS v25.0, XLSTAT, and the VITEK MS Knowledge Base. Logistic regression and Poisson regression were applied where appropriate; significance was set at p < 0.05.
resultsA total of 783 participants were enrolled; the majority were aged 29-39 years (44.2%). Microbiota type IV (depleted) was the most prevalent (48.1%). Overall, 67.6% of samples harboured pathogenic bacteria, while 32.4% yielded LAB. Among 260 LAB isolates, Enterococcus spp. dominated (59.2%), mainly E. faecalis (33.5%) and E. faecium (22.3%). Bacteria belonging to the former Lactobacillus group accounted for only 18.8% of all LAB. Age (p = 0.019), region of origin (p = 0.012), and marital status (p = 0.011) were significantly associated with LAB prevalence.
conclusionThe distribution of vaginal lactic acid bacteria in Cameroonian women depends on age, marital status, and region of origin. The predominance of Enterococcus spp. over canonical lactobacilli represents a distinctive microbiological signature, potentially reflecting biogeographical and socio-cultural adaptations, which calls for region-specific approaches to vaginal health management.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.