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Abstract
The occurrence of gram-negative anaerobic bacilli in the normal vaginal flora was studied in 20 normal healthy women attending a family-planning clinic. A swab was taken from the cervix and posterior fornix and Bacteroides spp. were isolated on a selective medium from 13 (65%) subjects. A heavy growth of Bacteroides was obtained from 11 specimens but only a few colonies were isolated from two specimens. Where possible, 10 representative colonies from each subject were studied and 113 isolates were identified by conventional bacteriological tests. Most isolates (78%) belonged to the B. melaninogeni-cusjoralis group. The commonest species identified in this group were the B. biviusjdisiens complex (42%), B. melaninogenicus ss. intermedius (22%) and ss. melaninogenicus (16%). Asaccharolytic strains were isolated in smaller numbers from 54% of subjects, but only five strains of the B.fragilis group were isolated from two subjects; fusobacteria were not detected.
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