BackgroundTrichomonas vaginalis is the most common non-viral human sexually transmitted pathogen and importantly, contributes to facilitating the spread of HIV. Yet very little is known about its surface and secreted proteins mediating interactions with, and permitting the invasion and colonisation of, the host mucosa. Initial annotations of T. vaginalis genome identified a plethora of candidate extracellular proteins.ResultsData mining of the T. vaginalis genome identified 911 BspA-like entries (TvBspA) sharing TpLRR-like leucine-rich repeats, which represent the largest gene family encoding potential extracellular proteins for the pathogen. A broad range of microorganisms encoding BspA-like proteins was identified and these are mainly known to live on mucosal surfaces, among these T. vaginalis is endowed with the largest gene family. Over 190 TvBspA proteins with inferred transmembrane domains were characterised by a considerable structural diversity between their TpLRR and other types of repetitive sequences and two subfamilies possessed distinct classic sorting signal motifs for endocytosis. One TvBspA subfamily also shared a glycine-rich protein domain with proteins from Clostridium difficile pathogenic strains and C. difficile phages. Consistent with the hypothesis that TvBspA protein structural diversity implies diverse roles, we demonstrated for several TvBspA genes differential expression at the transcript level in different growth conditions. Identified variants of repetitive segments between several TvBspA paralogues and orthologues from two clinical isolates were also consistent with TpLRR and other repetitive sequences to be functionally important. For one TvBspA protein cell surface expression and antibody responses by both female and male T. vaginalis infected patients were also demonstrated.ConclusionsThe biased mucosal habitat for microbial species encoding BspA-like proteins, the characterisation of a vast structural diversity for the TvBspA proteins, differential expression of a subset of TvBspA genes and the cellular localisation and immunological data for one TvBspA; all point to the importance of the TvBspA proteins to various aspects of T. vaginalis pathobiology at the host-pathogen interface.

These findings suggest that the presence of M hominis in T vaginalis isolates might play a key role in inflammation during trichomoniasis, thus affecting the severity of the disease. The synergistic upregulation of the macrophage proinflammatory response might also affect some important clinical conditions associated with T vaginalis infection, such as the increased risk of acquiring cervical cancer or HIV, which are thought to be affected by the inflammatory milieu during trichomoniasis.

The rapid emergence of drug-resistant strains and novel viruses have motivated the search for new anti-infectious agents. In this study, the chemical compositions and cytotoxicity, as well as the antibacterial, antifungal, antitrichomonas, and antiviral activities of essential oils from the leaves, rhizomes, and whole plant of Hornstedtia bella were investigated. The GC/MS analysis showed that β-pinene, E-β-caryophyllene, and α-humulene were found at high concentrations in the essential oils. The essential oils exhibited (i) inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) values from 1 to 4% (v/v); (ii) MIC and MLC values from 2 to 16% (v/v) in Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis; (iii) MIC and MLC values from 4 to 16% in Enterococcus faecalis; and (iv) MIC and MLC values from 8 to greater than or equal to 16% (v/v) in the remaining strains, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, and Candida glabrata. In antitrichomonas activity, the leaves and whole-plant oils of Hornstedtia bella possessed IC50, IC90, and MLC values of 0.008%, 0.016%, and 0.03% (v/v), respectively, whilst those of rhizomes oil had in turn, 0.004%, 0.008%, and 0.016% (v/v).Besides, the leaf oil showed a weak cytotoxicity against Vero 76 and MRC-5; meanwhile, rhizomes and whole-plant oils did not exert any toxic effects on cell monolayers. Finally, these oils were not active against EV-A71.

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T. vaginalis and M. hominis form a unique case of endosymbiosis that modulates the parasite’s pathobiology. Recently, a new nonculturable mycoplasma species (“ Candidatus Mycoplasma girerdii”) has been described as closely associated with the protozoon.