''Lactobacillus jensenii'' is a normal inhabitant of the lower reproductive tract in healthy women. ''L. jensenii'' makes up 23% of vaginal microflora that is naturally occurring. It is also found on the skins of

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

s at the time of their harvest. ''L. jensenii'' is sometimes used in producing fermented foods. ''Lactobacillus jensenii'' produces enzymes that cause

hydrolase Hydrolase is a class of enzyme that commonly perform as biochemical catalysts that use water to break a chemical bond, which typically results in dividing a larger molecule into smaller molecules. Some common examples of hydrolase enzymes are este ...

release from the liver. Hydrolase aids in the digestion of food in the upper gastrointestinal tract. ''Lactobacillus jensenii'' and other ''Lactobacillus'' species that produce

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3%� ...

, (most notably '' L. crispatus''), have been correlated with a decreased rate of

bacterial vaginosis Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a disease of the vagina caused by excessive growth of bacteria. Common symptoms include increased vaginal discharge that often smells like fish. The discharge is usually white or gray in color. Burning with urination ...

gonorrhea Gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium '' Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Infected men may experience pain or burning with ...

- and

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

-acquisition and

pelvic inflammatory disease Pelvic inflammatory disease, also known as pelvic inflammatory disorder (PID), is an infection of the upper part of the female reproductive system, namely the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, and inside of the pelvis. Often, there may be no ...

. A stable colonization with these species, as opposed to dominantly '' L. iners'', is associated with better reproductive outcomes, e.g. a decreased rate of

preterm birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the Childbirth, birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks Gestational age (obstetrics), gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 we ...

Discovery

''Lactobacillus jensenii'' was discovered by F. Gasser, M. Mandel, and M. Rogosa in 1969. Although sharing many characterization criteria, ''L. jensenii'' differed from the similar '' Lactobacillus leichmannii'' in a

gel electrophoresis Gel electrophoresis is a method for separation and analysis of biomacromolecules ( DNA, RNA, proteins, etc.) and their fragments, based on their size and charge. It is used in clinical chemistry to separate proteins by charge or size (IEF ...

analysis of their respective lactic dehydrogenases. The species was named in honour of Sigurd Orla-Jensen, a Danish microbiologist and a pioneer of biotechnology.

Characterization

''Lactobacillus jensenii'' is

Gram-positive In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. Gram-positive bacte ...

, rod-shaped, negative for catalase and oxidase, and anaerobic. The organism can grow on blood agar.

Morphology

Colonies of ''L. jensenii'' are circular, colorless, small, and

translucent In the field of optics, transparency (also called pellucidity or diaphaneity) is the physical property of allowing light to pass through the material without appreciable scattering of light. On a macroscopic scale (one in which the dimensions a ...

Infection

Bloodstream infection Bloodstream infections (BSIs), which include bacteremias when the Bacterial infection, infections are bacterial and fungemias when the Mycosis, infections are fungal, are infections present in the blood. Blood is normally a Asepsis, sterile envi ...

by ''Lactobacilli'' is rare but often fatal, with 30% of endocarditis cases caused by the genus resulting in patient mortality. While ''L. jensenii'' takes advantage of nonimmunocompetence in patients, immunocompetent cases have also been observed.

Treatment

In the rare occurrence of infection, ''L. jensenii'' can be treated with

teicoplanin Teicoplanin is an antibiotic used in the prophylaxis and treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' and ''Enterococcus faecalis''. It is a semisynthetic glycopeptide ...

and

meropenem Meropenem, sold under the brand name Merrem among others, is an intravenous β-lactam antibiotic used to treat a variety of bacterial infections. Some of these include meningitis, intra-abdominal infection, pneumonia, sepsis, and anthrax. ...

References

External links

Type strain of ''Lactobacillus jensenii'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2618197 Lactobacillaceae Bacteria described in 1999 Microbiomes