HEMOLYTIC-ACTIVITY OF TRICHOMONAS-VAGINALIS AND TRITRICHOMONAS-FETUS

The hemolytic activity of live isolates and clones of Trichomonas vagi nalis and Tritrichomonas foetus was investigated. The isolates were te sted 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 th e parasites could be detected. Our preliminary results suggest that he molysis depend on the susceptibility of red cell membranes to destabil ization and the intervention of cell surface receptors as a mechanism of the hemolytic activity. The mechanism could be subject to strain-sp ecies-genera specific variation of trichomonads. The hemolytic activit y of T. vaginalis is not due to a hemolysin or to a product of its met abolism. Pretreatment of trichomonads with concanavalin A reduced leve ls of hemolysis by 40%.