Amine content of vaginal fluid from patients with trichomoniasis and gardnerella associated non-specific vaginitis.

Abstract

SUMMARY Amounts of putrescine, cadaverine, and tyramine were measured in vaginal washings from five patients with non-specific vaginitis (NSV) associated with Gardnerella vaginalis, five patients with trichomoniasis, and five healthy controls. Putrescine and cadaverine were present in all but one sample from the infected patients; tyramine was found in four of five samples from the women with NSV and in two of five samples from those with trichomoniasis. The mean cadaverine to putrescine ratio was significantly higher in the patients with NSV than in those with trichomoniasis. Samples from the five controls contained only very small amounts of any of the three amines. The amine content of nine of 10 samples from the infected women was reduced to normal values after metronidazole treatment. The possible sources of the amines from Trichomonas vaginalis and Gardnerella vaginalis are discussed with reference to the clinical response to treatment. IntroductionPatients and methods

Analysis of Bacterial Vaginosis-Related Amines in Vaginal Fluid by Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry

“…In accord with the findings of Chen et al (3) and of Sanderson et al (16) in their studies of NSV, we found high amounts of putrescine and cadaverine in all our samples from women with BV, but we also found tyramine in all our BV samples, which they did not. We could not analyze histamine by our method, but Chen et al (3) found it in high amounts in some of their NSV samples.…”

“…When the concentrations of putrescine, cadaverine, and tyramine were added together, the result was an even higher amine concentration than in any of the samples with BV. This intermediate sample also contained T. vaginalis and, since amines have been reported to occur in the vaginal fluid of women with T. vaginalis (16), the high amine concentration was probably due to this. The second-strongest intermediate sample was obtained from a woman who had recently been treated for BV but did not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for BV according to Nugent. We calculated the amine concentrations in the vaginal fluid, which are expressed as micrograms per gram of vaginal fluid.…”

“…Sanderson et al (16) showed that putrescine and cadaverine were present in vaginal washings from patients with BV, in some cases together with tyramine. Kubota et al (10) found that 29 of 32 patients with BV had amines in the vaginal fluid.…”

“…Our results are thereby independent of the amount of vaginal fluid obtained from the patient. Vaginal washing has been used in previous investigations, i.e., sterile water or saline was in- stilled into the vagina (2,3,10,16). By using a plastic loop or a cotton-tipped applicator, adherent vaginal secretion was collected into the pooled fluid, which then was removed with a sterile syringe.…”

Trichomonas vaginalisInfection in Male Sexual Partners: Implications for Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

“…Other female factors, including a higher organism burden in a woman indicated by WM positivity, were not significantly associated with trichomoniasis in the male partner after adjustment for other factors. T. vaginalis is known to produce amine during growth, resulting in an elevated pH [34]. In vitro, the organism grows optimally in an anaerobic environment with pH levels of 6.0-6.3 [35].…”