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Aims: To characterize in vitro the ability of human Lactobacillus strains to inhibit the adhesion, to displace and to compete with clinically isolated Candida strains., Methods and Results: Three types of assays were performed to determine the inhibitory effect of Lactobacillus plantarum 319, Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501, Lactobacillus paracasei IMC 502 and a specific probiotic combination (SYNBIO) on adhesion of Candida pathogens to HeLa cells: blockage by exclusion (lactobacilli and HeLa followed by pathogens), competition (lactobacilli, HeLa and pathogens together) and displacement (pathogens and HeLa followed by the addition of lactobacilli). Bacterial adhesion to HeLa was quantified by microscopy after May-Grünwald/Giemsa stain. The inhibition results highlight a significant (P < 0·05) competition of the considered probiotics against all the Candida strains. The results suggest that the probiotic strains used in this study could prevent colonization of the urogenital tract by relevant pathogens such as Candida strains through barrier and interference mechanisms (mainly displacement and competition), but the degree of inhibition of adhesion was bacterial strain-dependent., Conclusions: The results support the potential of these Lactobacillus probiotic strains as anti-infective agents in the vagina and encourage further studies about their capacity to prevent and manage urogenital tract infections in females., Significance and Impact of the Study: To optimize the defensive properties of the vaginal microbiota, improving the health of many women by probiotic intervention., (© 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)