Gardnerella vaginalis

Gardnerella vaginalis is a species of Gram-variable-staining facultative anaerobic bacteria that forms small non-spore-forming coccobacilli. It is part of the normal human vaginal flora but can become pathogenic when it overgrows relative to other bacteria—most notably causing bacterial vaginosis (BV), which is the most common cause of abnormal discharge in women worldwide. BV results from disruption in the balance between G. vaginalis and protective Lactobacillus species. G. vaginalis produces several virulence factors including sialidases and a pore-forming toxin called vaginolysin that contribute to its ability to adhere to epithelial cells and form biofilms—key steps in pathogenesis. While it plays an important role in maintaining healthy pH levels within the vagina under normal conditions, its overgrowth leads to symptoms such as increased grayish-white discharge with a fishy odor. Although antibiotics like metronidazole are commonly used for treatment, increasing antibiotic resistance poses therapeutic challenges. Diagnostic methods include Amsel criteria or Nugent scoring based on microscopy; more recently PCR-based molecular diagnostics targeting specific genes have improved accuracy. **Note:** Gardnerella vaginalis is not itself a "therapeutic target" like an enzyme or receptor but rather an organism implicated in disease states; thus it does not fit standard definitions for drug targets used in pharmacology databases[1][2][4][7].

Other names

Haemophilus vaginalisCorynebacterium vaginalis

Antibiotics act by inhibiting DNA synthesis or protein synthesis in the bacterium[2]