Oral administration of Lactobacillus crispatus M247 to papillomavirus-infected women: results of a preliminary, uncontrolled, open trial

BACKGROUND: Vaginal microbiotas can be clustered into five different possible categories (CST I to V), according to their bacterial dominance. In CST I. the dominance of Lactobacillus crispatus seems to correlate with better vaginal health and with a lower incidence of sine causa infertility. pretenn delivery, bacterial vaginosis, and viral (including human papillomavirus; HPV) infection. According to the same method of classifying the vaginal microbiome, CST IV (non-Lactobacillus-dominated) demonstrates a higher incidence of disorders. METHODS: In an open, non-controlled study, we enrolled 35 HPV-positive women who mostly (N.=24) demonstrated CST IV status, with the other individuals categorized as having either CST III (N.=10) or CST II (N.=1) microbiotas. RESULTS: After 90 days of oral treatment with a probiotic (L. crispatus M247) we observed a reduction of approximately 70% in HPV positivity and a significant change in CST status with 94% of women now classified as CST I. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limitations of our study, it is the first demonstration that it is possible to intervene orally with an L. crispatus probiotic to bring about a change in CST status and, in parallel, increased HPV clearance.

Automated summary

The study found that oral administration of L. crispatus probiotics can significantly reduce the HPV positivity rate and lead to a change in CST status. Despite some limitations, this is the first demonstration that oral probiotics can intervene in the vaginal microbiome and increase HPV clearance.