Biofilm formation by opportunistic microorganisms isolated from the vaginal biotope
Khusnutdinova T.A., Shalepo K.V., Budilovskaya O.V., Krysanova A.A., Savicheva A.M., Bespalova O.N.
Objective. To assess the ability of opportunistic microorganisms isolated from the vaginal biotope to form single-species biofilms in vitro.
Materials and methods. The study included 142 isolates of opportunistic microorganisms from the vaginal biotope: Lactobacillus crispatus (n=9), Lactobacillus jensenii (n=6), Lactobacillus iners (n=1), Lactobacillus rhamnosus(n=1), Lactobacillus reuteri (n=1), Gardnerella vaginalis (n=13), Escherichia coli (n=23), Streptococcus agalactiae (n=39), Enterococcus faecalis (n=29) and yeast-like fungi of the Candida genus (n=20). Biofilm formation was assessed in a 96-well sterile flat-bottom polystyrene microplate.
Results. In vitro biofilm formation by 108/142 (76.1%) isolates of microorganisms was observed. The biofilm-producing ability of most clinical isolates of Lactobacillus spp. (17/18; 94.4%) was different. L. crispatus (9/9; 100%) and most L. jensenii (5/6; 83.3%) formed weak or moderate biofilms; L. rhamnosus, L. reuteri and one isolate of L. jensenii formed strong biofilms. All isolates of G. vaginalis had biofilm-producing ability: 2/13 (15.4%) were weak biofilm producers, 3/13 (23.1%) were moderate and 8/13 (61.5%) were strong. Among Candida spp. isolates, in vitro biofilms were formed by 18/20 (90%). At the same time, none of them were classified as weak biofilm producers. The biofilm-forming ability of different density was detected in 26/39 (66.7%) S. agalactiae isolates, 15/29 (51.7%) Enterococcus faecalis isolates, and 19/23 (82.6%) E. coli isolates.
Conclusion. Opportunistic microorganisms isolated from the vaginal biotope have the ability to form single-species biofilms in vitro. Further research is needed to create special conditions for formation of mixed-species or polymicrobial biofilms in vitro.
Authors' contributions. Khusnutdinova T.A. – literature review, microbiological testing, analysis of obtained data, manuscript writing and editing; Shalepo K.V. – microbiological testing, analysis of obtained data, manuscript writing and editing; Budilovskaya O.V., Krysanova A.A. – processing and analysis of obtained data; manuscript editing; Savicheva A.M., Bespalova O.N. –the study concept and design, manuscript editing, approval of the final version of the manuscript. All authors have made substantial contributions to the conception of the study, carrying out the study and writing the manuscript. The authors have read and approved the final version before publication.
Conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to publication of this article.
Funding. The study was carried out within the framework of Fundamental Scientific Research “Creation of biological models of reproductive disorders for the development of individual approaches to pharmacological correction” (FGWN-2026-0008),
reg. No. 1025102300010-7-3.2.2.
Ethical Approval. The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee of D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology (protocol No. 147 of March 05, 2026).
Generative Artificial Intelligence. No generative AI was used in preparing this article.
Authors' Data Sharing Statement. The data supporting the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author after approval from the principal investigator.
For citation: Khusnutdinova T.A., Shalepo K.V., Budilovskaya O.V., Krysanova A.A., Savicheva A.M.,
Bespalova O.N., Biofilm formation by opportunistic microorganisms isolated from the vaginal biotope.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2026; (9): 117-125 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2026.109
Keywords
vaginal biotope
opportunistic microorganisms
clinical isolates
single-species biofilms
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Received 02.04.2026
Accepted 03.09.2026
About the Authors
Tatiana A. Khusnutdinova, PhD, Senior Researcher of the Experimental Microbiology Group, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology,3 Mendeleyevskaya Line, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia, husnutdinovat@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2742-2655
Kira V. Shalepo, PhD, Senior Researcher of the Experimental Microbiology Group, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology,
3 Mendeleyevskaya Line, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia, 2474151@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-3002-3874
Olga V. Budilovskaya, PhD, Senior Researcher of the Experimental Microbiology Group, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology,
3 Mendeleyevskaya Line, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia, o.budilovskaya@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7673-6274
Anna A. Krysanova, PhD, Senior Researcher of the Experimental Microbiology Group, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology,
3 Mendeleyevskaya Line, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia, krusanova.anna@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/ 0000-0003-4798-1881
Alevtina M. Savicheva, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology, 3 Mendeleyevskaya Line, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia, savitcheva@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/ 0000-0003-3870-5930
Olesya N. Bespalova, Dr. Med. Sci., Deputy Director of the Institute for Scientific Work, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology»,
3 Mendeleyevskaya Line, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia, shiggerra@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6542-5953
Corresponding author: Tatiana A. Khusnutdinova, husnutdinovat@yandex.ru
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