Activity of Kefir grains against Gardnerella vaginalis

Abstract

Kefir is a probiotic mixture of bacteria and yeasts. In vitro and animal trials have shown kefir to have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activity. The main goal of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Gardnerella vaginalis (G.vaginalis) to kefir. Antimicrobial agents, which were commonly used to treat bacterial vaginosis, and kefir were both tested for antimicrobial activities against G.vaginalis using an agar diffusion method. Kefir was able to inhibit the growth of G.vaginalis. Kefir found to have antimicrobial activity similar to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, erythromycin and gentamicin against G.vaginalis isolates. Kefir produced zone of inhibition sizes higher than the zones produced by ciprofloxacin, sulphamethoxazole /trimethoprim and tetracycline. Special attention must be paid to kefir as its activity against G. vaginalis recommends that it deserves assessment in the treatment of infections involving G. vaginalis.