DETERMINATION OF HEMOLYTIC-ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT STRAINS OF TRICHOMONADS OF GENUS TRICHOMONAS DONNE, 1836 AND TRITRICHOMONAS KOFOID, 1920

The hemolytic activity of live Trichomonas vaginalis, Trichomonas gall inae, Tritrichomonas foetus, Tritrichomonas suis was described. The fo ur isolates were tested against human erythrocytes. No hemolytic activ ity was detected by the isolates of genus Tritrichomonas. Whereas the strains of genus Trichomonas lysed all human blood groups. No hemolysi n released by the parasites could be detected. Our preliminary results suggest that the hemolysis depends on the susceptibility of red cell membranes to destabilization and the intervention of cell surface rece ptors as a mechanism of the hemolytic activity. This mechanism could b e subject to strain-genera-species specific variation of trichomonads. Although the hemolytic activity of T. vaginalis and T. gallinae is no t due to a hemolysin or to a product of its metabolism. Pre-treatment of trichomonads with concanavalin A reduced levels of hemolysis by 40% .