THE MICROBIOLOGICAL FLORA OF THE VAGINA O F BITCHES OF A GROUP OF BEAGLE, BEFORE AND DURING THE FIRST BREEDING CYCLUS

We studied the microbiological flora of the vagina of 22 juvenile Beag le-bitches and furtheron the flora during the first breeding cyclus. I n 19 juvenile bitches (87 %) bacterial content was noticed on the heal thy mucous membranes of the vagina. beta-Hemolytic streptococci of gro up G-type, Staphylococcus intermedius, anhemolytic streptococci, Esche richia coli and alpha-hemolytic streptococci were the most frequently isolated bacteria. Also during the first breeding cyclus these bacteri a belonged to the normal flora of the vagina. The isolated bacteria we re more often found in mixed cultures than in pure cultures. On averag e, 1,71 bacterial groups were isolated per specimen. Of the bacterial isolates 35 % were semiquantitatively classified as sparse, 12 % as mo derate and 53 % as profuse. A decrease of the bacterial content was no ticed in the late metestrus and the anestrus, while the highest conten t was seen in the proestrus and estrus.