Superoxide Radical Formation in Isolated PMN from Experimental Vaginal Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis, the most widespread sexually transmitted disease is caused by trichomonas vaginalis. this parasite is sitespecific for the genitourinary tract and recruitment of macrophages as well as polymorphonuclear nutrophils (pmn) to thesite of infection is the first line of defense as a component of non-specific resistance and immunity. in this study, balb/cmice we re infected with 10 isolates from symptomatic and 10 from asymptomatic patients. then pmn from vaginal washes,vaginal tissue and blood of infected mice was isolated and the rate of supe roxide formation by intact stimulated pmn wasmeasured. results showed that, mice infected with symptomatic isolates indicated significant incre ase in polymorphs withincrease in days of infec tion as compared with mice infected with asymptomatic isolate and control (uninfected) animals.vaginal tissue cells generated maximal amount of superoxide in symptomatic isolates infected animals (5.1 7 ± 0.36) ascompared to asymptomat ic isolates (4.54 ± 0.43), which brings out the maximal abnormality in pmn in this localized area .the amount of superoxide radicals generated by cells of vaginal washes and blood of symptomatic isolate infected mice( 4.29 ± 0.25 and 2.16 ± 0.35) was less than the asymptomatic isolate (4.94 ± 0.49 and 3.18 ± 0.26), respectively. this studyindicates that super oxide radical generation may play role in establishing the infection.