Aline T. Wendorff

Hemolytic activity of Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus

The hemolytic activity of live isolates and clones of Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus was investigated. The isolates were tested against human erythrocytes. No hemolytic activity was detected by the isolates of T. foetus. Whereas the isolates of T. vaginalis lysed erythrocytes from all human blood groups. No hemolysin released by the parasites could be detected. Our preliminary results suggest that hemolysis depend on the susceptibility of red cell membranes to destabilization and the intervention of cell surface receptors as a mechanism of the hemolytic activity. The mechanism could be subject to strain-species-genera specific variation of trichomonads. The hemolytic activity of T. vaginalis is not due to a hemolysin or to a product of its metabolism. Pretreatment of trichomonads with concanavalin A reduced levels of hemolysis by 40%.

Lysis of erythrocytes by Trichomonas gallinae.

The hemolytic activity of five live isolates of Trichomonas gallinae was investigated. The isolates were subsequently tested against the erythrocytes of seven adult animal species. Each of the five isolates tested lysed all human blood groups, as well as rabbit, rat, chicken, horse, bovine, and sheep erythrocytes. No hemolysin released by the parasite could be detected. Our preliminary results suggest that the hemolytic activity is not due to the hemolysin release by T. gallinae or to a product of its metabolism. Pretreatment of live trichomonads with concanavalin A reduced levels of hemolysis by 40%.

HEMOLYTIC ASPECTS OF STRAINS AND CLONES OF Trichomonas vaginalis

Se investigo la actividad hemolitica de 11 cepas y 6 clones vivos de Trichomonas vaginalis. Las cepas y los clones fueron subsecuentemente estudiados frente a los eritrocitos de 7 especies animales adultas. Cada una das 11 cepas y 6 clones liso los eritrocitos de todos los grupos sanguineos humanos, lo mismo que los de conejo, rata, pollo, caballo, bovino y ovino. No se detecto la liberacion de hemolisina por el parasito (cepas y clones). Los resultados sugieren que la acividad hemolitica no es debida a la liberacion de hemolisina por la T. vaginalis o por un producto de su metabolismo