[Urogenital trichomoniasis and vaginal mycosis in female offenders--a repeat study 20 years later]. / Urogenitálna trichomoniáza a vaginálna mykóza u delikventných zien--opakovaná stúdia po 20 rokoch.

The prevalence of urogenital trichomoniasis and vaginal mycosis in 698 female prison inmates in Bratislava was compared with the occurrence of the diseases recorded twenty years ago. The occurrence rate of urogenital trichomoniasis (40.97%) was only slightly reduced compared to the sixties (59.17%), yet it was still five times higher than in the current population. The occurrence rate of vaginal mycosis is much lower in delinquent women (2.3%) than in other women. Trichomonas vaginalis was most frequently present in the age group of 20-29 years (44.67%). All patients with urogenital trichomoniasis were cured with nitroimidazoles. The first treatment was successful in 98.25%, the second treatment with the same dose had a 100% efficacy. Repeated examination of 84 women after two months did not confirm the possibility of intramural infection.

Differential susceptibility of fresh Trichomonas vaginalis isolates to complement in menstrual blood and cervical mucus.

The ability of complement in human menstrual blood and cervical mucus to kill Trichomonas vaginalis was compared with that of complement in serum, and 95 fresh trichomonal isolates obtained from vaginal wash material were evaluated for susceptibility to complement immediately after isolation. Only serum and menstrual blood with haemolytic activity produced total cytolysis of T vaginalis. The cytolytic abilities of these fluids were totally inactivated by treatment with heat or edetic acid (EDTA), which confirms the role of complement in cytolysis. Most cervical mucus samples had no detectable trichomonal cytotoxic properties. The cytotoxic activity in the remaining samples was not due to complement, as it was heat stable. Fresh isolates of T vaginalis and subpopulations of fresh isolates differed in their susceptibility or resistance to complement mediated lysis in serum. Resistance to complement did not remain stable after trichomonads were grown in vitro.

Fewer Trichomonas vaginalis organisms in vaginas of infected women during menstruation.

The aims of the present study were to count Trichomonas vaginalis organisms recovered from the vaginas of patients with trichomoniasis, and to obtain data concerning changes in sizes of trichomonal populations during the menstrual cycle. In about 80% of symptomatic as well as symptomless patients, more than 1 x 10(5) parasites per ml could be obtained from vaginal washes. During menstruation, however, the number of trichomonads decreased appreciably, with subsequent increases within three to six days after bleeding. The results indicated that sufficient numbers of fresh trichomonads may be obtained from vaginal washes for biochemical and molecular experiments and also confirm the previously reported trichomonocidal effect of menstrual blood complement in vivo.

Phenotypes and protein-epitope phenotypic variation among fresh isolates of Trichomonas vaginalis.

Fresh isolates of Trichomonas vaginalis were examined for reactions to a panel of five monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Four MAbs (C20A3, DM126, DM116, and C55) were to distinct surface immunogens and one MAb (L64) was to a cytoplasmic component. The fresh isolates were evaluated by indirect immunofluorescence (IF), immunoblotting, and radioimmunoprecipitation. IF assay with C20A3 MAb gave isolates which were homogeneous nonstaining (negative [Neg] phenotype) and isolates which were heterogeneous staining and nonstaining (positive [Pos] and Neg phenotype, respectively) organisms. Immunoblotting and radioimmunoprecipitation assays revealed that surface phenotypic heterogeneity among isolates with C20A3 MAb was due to the presence or absence of the immunogen from the parasite surface. IF assay with DM126 MAb also gave Pos and Neg phenotypes among parasites of some isolates. All of the isolates were always Neg phenotype with DM116 and C55 MAbs. The occurrence of Neg phenotype organisms with DM126, DM116, and C55 was due to epitope inaccessibility to their respective MAbs and not to the absence of the immunogen from trichomonal membranes. All isolates possessed the cytoplasmic protein recognized by L64 MAb. Paired isolates (taken 5 to 6 days apart) from 24 women were also studied. Four of the 24 paired isolates (16%) had different phenotype distributions at the two timepoints for C20A3. Fresh isolates also underwent phenotypic variation during in vitro growth and multiplication, as determined with C20A3. Also, 7 of the 24 paired isolates demonstrated dramatic changes in the accessibility of DM126 MAb to epitope binding. Lastly, 55 (90%) of 60 serum samples from patients with trichomoniasis evaluated in this study possessed antibody to the C20A3 reactive molecule. The data show that the fresh T. vaginalis isolates were predominantly Neg phenotype and confirm the occurrence of protein and epitope phenotypic variation for major immunogens among fresh isolates of the pathogenic human trichomonads.