The cytopathic effects of Trichomonas vaginalis on fibroblast cell culture alone and with C. albicans and E. coli.

OBJECTIVE In this study, the cytopathic effects of Trichomonas vaginalis were investigated in L929 mouse fibroblast cell cultures (FCC) under different conditions: only parasite, or coexistence with Candida albicans and Escherichia coli. METHODS The parasite was isolated from a symptomatic patient and cultured in Cysteine-Peptone-Liver infusion Maltose medium (CPLM). C. albicans strain 10235 and E. coli strain 25922 were used in the experiments. Five groups were created and inoculated on FCC. The groups were as follows; only T. vaginalis, C. albicans, E. coli, T. vaginalis+C. albicans and T. vaginalis+E. coli. The plates were incubated for 24 hours and cell viability was examined under an inverted microscope. Each experiment was repeated 11 times. RESULTS The fibroblast death rate was 19.1%, 21%, 40.9%, 96.5% and 89.6% in the five groups, respectively. CONCLUSION All fibroblasts were alive in the control group. T. vaginalis showed almost 100% cytopathic effects on FCC with C. albicans and parasites were very motile in this coexistence.