Group B streptococci in the female genital tract.

Vaginal carriage rates of group B streptococci among 250 women attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases, 123 attending family planning clinics, and 110 in labour wages were 36.0%, 17-1% and 6.4% respectively. The presence of group B streptococci was not associated with a vaginal discharge or the use of oral contraceptives in the non-pregnant women, or with the isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Trichomonas vaginalis from the women attending the clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Serotyping showed a predominance of types II and III in non-pregnant women and an overall incidence of non-typable strains of 14.8%. There was no relationship between serotype and antibacterial susceptibility.     

Vaccines for Chlamydia infections of the female genital tract.

Genital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is an escalating global public health concern causing considerable morbidity and socioeconomic burden worldwide. Although antibiotics are used to treat symptomatic urogenital infections, chlamydial infection remains asymptomatic in approximately 50% of infected men and 70% of infected women. The major clinical manifestations of genital chlamydial infection in women include mucopurulent cervicitis, endometritis and pelvic inflammatory disease. Genital infection with C. trachomatis markedly enhances the risk for reproductive tract sequelae in women, including tubal factor infertility, chronic pain and ectopic pregnancy. Definitive infection control of chlamydial infections will likely be achievable through a safe and efficacious vaccine. This will require identifying protective chlamydial antigens in animal models as well as identifying effective adjuvants and delivery systems that target subunit vaccines to immune inductive sites or secondary lymphoid tissues, and will be safe for use in humans.     

Obstructive lesions of the genital tract in men

Obstructive lesions of the efferent and epididymal ducts in man were a common finding at necropsy. Although they demonstrated evidence of resorption of spermatozoa, they did not appear to be associated with the development of spermagglutinating antibodies in most cases. It is concluded that local spermiophagy within the genital tract in men is insufficient to lead to the development of antisperm autoallergy as detected by the tray agglutination test.     

Schistosomiasis of the female genital tract: public health aspects.

In this paper Gabriele Poggensee, Hermann Feldmeier and Ingela Krantz discuss the public health relevance of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS). Some of the stated hypotheses are supported only by clinical observations and/or circumstantial evidence as valid epidemiological and immunological data of this disease entity are still very scanty. Morbidity caused by the presence of schistosome eggs in the lower and upper genital tract have been almost completely neglected during the past two decades. This has been acknowledged by the WHO and, in 1997, the Gender Task Force of the WHO's Tropical Disease Research Programme (TDR) included FGS in a list of scientific areas that deserve high research priority.     

Neuropeptide Y in the human male genital tract

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) was found in high concentrations in the male genital tract. NPY levels were highest in the seminal vesicles, prostate, corpus cavernosum and vas deferens, where large numbers of immunoreactive nerve fibres were detected. Considerable quantities were also found in the epididymis and spongiosum. Lower concentrations were found in the glans penis, testis and foreskin. The presence of a large number of nerves containing NPY suggest that this active neuropeptide may play a role in control of genital function.     

Mycoplasma tauri sp. nov. isolated from the bovine genital tract

Since 2006, a Mycoplasma species unidentifiable to the species level has been regularly isolated from the semen and prepuce of apparently healthy bulls, and occasionally from cattle displaying inflammatory disease of the genital tract. Seven of these Mycoplasma isolates were subjected to a comprehensive taxonomic study. The strains investigated grew well in modified Hayflick’s medium and colonies on agar exhibited typical fried egg morphology and produced ‘film and spots’. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a cell morphology characteristic of mycoplasmas with spherically shaped cells bounded by a bi-layered cell membrane. The strains studied neither produced acid from sugar carbon sources nor did hydrolyse arginine or urea, and genome annotation indicated that organic acids (pyruvate, lactate) are used as energy sources. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences, the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region, and partial rpoB gene and protein sequences placed the strains within the Mycoplasma (M.) bovis cluster of the Hominis group with M. primatum, M. agalactiae, and M. bovis being their closest relatives. Genomic information including whole-genome similarity metrics (ANIb, ANIm, TETRA, dDDH, AAI) and phylogenomics, proteomic features revealed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry as well as serological reactions and polar lipid profiling strongly indicated that the strains examined were representatives of a hitherto unclassified species of genus Mycoplasma, for which the name Mycoplasma tauri sp. nov. with type strain Zaradi2^T (=ATCC BAA-1891^T = DSM 22451^T) is proposed.     

Peptide-immunoreactive nerves in the mammalian female genital tract

Summary Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, substance P, neuropeptide Y and peptide histidine isoleucine immunoreactivities have been demonstrated in the female genitalia of rat, cat, mouse and guinea-pig using immunocytochemistry and radioimmunoassay. They were localized to nerves. Each type of immunoreactive nerve showed a distinct pattern of distribution, though all were associated to some degree with blood vessels and smooth muscle. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-immunoreactive and neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive nerves were the most abundant. Higher concentrations of peptides were detected in the female genitalia of the mouse than those of the other species studied. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-immunoreactive nerves were particularly concentrated in the cervix (89.1±17.2 pmol/g, mean±S.E.M.) and the uterus (57.4±14.8 pmol/g) of the mouse, while neuropeptide Y immunoreactivity was more abundant in the Fallopian tube of the mouse (31.6±11.8 pmol/g) and the vagina of the rat (38.6±4.8 pmol/g) than in other regions. Separate populations of ganglion cells in the paracervical ganglia were found to contain vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and neuropeptide Y immunoreactivities. Peptide histidine isoleucine-immunoreactive and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-immunoreactive nerves were similarly distributed, but the former were much less frequent. Substance P-immunoreactive nerves were seen mainly beneath the epithelium of the vagina and were, in general, more numerous in the guinea-pig than in other species. The significance of these peptide-immunoreactive nerves in the female genital organ remains to be determined.Dr. Wang is on leave from The Institute of Acupuncture, The Academy of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Peking, China.     

Immunolocalization of glycodelin in the genital tract of rats

Glycodelin, also known as placental protein 14 has been predominantly localized to organs of the human genital tract. Unfortunately the physiological role of glycodelin is largely unknown since it depends on limited availability of tissues. Therefore, a suitable animal model to study the role of glycodelin would be desirable. Previously, it was shown that glycodelin mRNA is expressed in the genital tract of male and female rats. In the present study, we demonstrate the expression of glycodelin protein in male and female rats by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. For this purpose a polyclonal antibody was generated against glycodelin peptide. In female rats, glycodelin was found in the epithelial gland cells of the uterus, epithelial cells of the fallopian tube as well as in corpora lutea, interstitial and theca cells of the ovary. Glycodelin was distributed in all epithelial cells of the epididymis and the seminal vesicle. In the seminiferous epithelium, glycodelin was seen in all developmental stages of spermatogonia and spermatocytes and in Sertoli cells. Whereas in the rat male reproductive tract glycodelin expression is slightly different from human or primate tissues, in organs of the rat female genital tract glycodelin expression is similar to humans and primates.