Abstract
This study is a continuation of a survey of the physiologic activities of a bacteria-free culture of Trichomonas vaginalis. 1 2 3 4 5 Knowledge of the fermentation reactions of this organism is desirable to serve as a basis for the comparison of this species with other pure cultures when they may become available. Moreover, since compounds containing carbohydrates are extensively used in the therapy of vaginal trichomoniasis, the demonstration of any trichomonas-growth-stimulating action of a carbohydrate suggests that it would probably be of limited clinical value.
Experimental. All experiments were performed in duplicate and for those compounds utilized by the protozoa a third test was made.
Utilization of the various substances was determined by comparing the population increase and pH shift in a basic medium with and without the test compounds. Four tubes with the test compound were used in most of the experiments and the results averaged. Population counts were made in hemocytometers (one cubic mm counted per tube). pH measurements were made with glass electrode equipment standardized each time against 2 known buffers.
The basic medium employed and recommended, which gives very poor growth in the absence of utilizable carbohydrates, is prepared as follows:
Two percent proteose peptone No. 3 (Difco), 0.5% NaCl, and 0.1% agar in distilled water adjusted to pH 6, is tubed in 9 cc amounts and autoclaved. After cooling, 0.5 cc of sterile filtered undiluted human serum (adjusted to pH 6 with N/1 HCl) and sufficient autoclaved concentrated sodium thioglycollate solution to give a final concentration of 0.1% are added. The latter is necessary because it was found that “aerobic”fermentation did not occur in its absence.
The 32 compounds listed in Table I were added to the basic medium to a final concentration of 0.5%. The test substances in concentrated solution were sterilized either by filtering or by auto-claving 8 minutes. The basic medium without any additions served as the control.
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