Abstract
Exacerbations are frequently observed in cases of Trichomonas vaginalis vaginitis following menstruation or during pregnancy. In search of a possible explanation of this phenomenon Stein and Cope 1 examined the effect of progynon (Schering) upon contaminated cultures of Trichomonas vaginalis and concluded that “the addition of female sex hormone to culture medium stimulated the multiplication of Trichomonas vaginalis in vitro.” They also state 1 that “the sex hormone content of menstrual blood may be a more important factor in causing the postmenstrual flare of Trichomonas vaginalis vaginitis than the presence of blood serum and possibly also of tissue fragments.”
The purpose of the present study was to reinvestigate the rôle of female sex hormones using a bacteria-free culture.
Solutions of theelol (Parke, Davis Co.), estradiol (Ciba), and estradiol-3-benzoate (Ciba) in 95% alcohol were prepared in 3 dilutions: estradiol-3-benzoate 0.01, 0.001, and 0.0001%: estradiol and theelol 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 %.† In each case 0.02 cc of hormone solution was added to 10.0 cc of sterile culture fluid by tuberculin syringe without the needle attached. The medium which was adjusted to pH 6.0 with N/1 HCl contained 5% human serum in Baltimore Biological Thioglycollate medium without glucose.
Ten cultures were employed for each dilution of the 3 hormones and compared with 10 control cultures which received 0.02 cc of 95% alcohol without the hormone. The inoculum consisted of 0.2 cc of culture fluid obtained by mixing several 4-day-old stock cultures. The incubation temperature was 35 ± 0.5°C. Populations per cubic millimeter were determined by hemocytometer count at 24-hour intervals until the concentration of organisms was demonstrated to have passed the maximum. The culture tubes were examined for evidence of gross contamination and checked further by streaking on chocolate agar plates.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.