Background Lactobacillus is an integral part of vaginal microbiota that maintains healthy environment and plays an important role in preventing sexually transmitted infections and HIV. We profile the Lactobacillus species present when the women are healthy or have Bacterial Vaginosis among women in US and India.

Method Between February 2010 and November 2011, a sample of 75 women attending Prerana Women’s Health Clinic in India or San Francisco City Clinic in USA were sampled and diagnosed for BV based on Amsel’s Criteria. In addition, Gram stained smears of vaginal fluid were Nugent scored. Vaginal swabs were then cultured in MRS broth. Gram positive Lactobacilli generating about 600–800bp amplicon by16SrDNA PCR with 16S primers were further characterised by sequencing.

Result Vaginal samples were obtained from 75 women. According to Amsel criteria, 34 women were healthy and 41 women had BV. Lactobacilli were isolated from 22 healthy Indian and 10 healthy US women. Lactobacilli were also isolated from 4 Indian and 5 US women with BV. Eleven Lactobacillus species were isolated from 26 Indian women and 9 species were identified from 15 US women. The common Lactobacilli species found in Indian women included L. Crispatus (24.3%), L. Gasseri (24.3%), and L. Jensenii (13.5%), while L. Crispatus (32.0%), L. Jensenii (20.0%), and L. Coleohominis (12.0%) were common in US women. L. crispatus was cultured from 44% of healthy and 4.9% of women with BV. L. jensenii, L. gasseri, and L. acidophilus were cultured from 25.6%, 23.5% and 2.9% of healthy women; and 2.4%, 4.9% and 0.0% of BV women, respectively.

Conclusion Our findings showed lactobacilli species present in healthy vagina of women in India do not differ from those reported from other countries. This information is useful to development of microbicides for HIV prevention.