FIG 2.

Example of BV diagnosis using fluorescence in situ microscopy and PNA FISH probes. Lactobacillus-specific (Lac633-Alexa Fluor 488) and Gardnerella-specific (Gard162-Alexa Fluor 594) PNA FISH probes allowed a quick (<3-h) and accurate (85% sensitivity and 98% specificity) BV diagnosis following Ison and Hay’s criteria. The Lac633 probe marked the Lactobacillus spp. with a strong green signal, while Gard162 marked the Gardnerella spp. with a red signal. Sample A was obtained from a woman with a Nugent score of <3, while sample B was obtained from a woman with a Nugent score of >7. Some nonspecific fluorescence can be observed in both images, but the difference between the woman without BV and the woman with BV is evident. These images were obtained from a previous study (82).