ANALYSIS OF THE EXTRACELLULAR PROTEASES OF TRICHOMONAS-VAGINALIS

We have previously isolated two extracellular cysteine proteases (60 a nd 30 kDa, respectively) from the cell filtrate of an isolate of Trich omonas vaginalis. In this study the clinical presentation of 12 clinic al isolates of T. vaginalis was correlated with their protease activit y. All 12 isolates produced a 60-kDa protease as demonstrated by immun oblotting. However, only 5 of 12 isolates produced a 30-kDa protease i n the extracellular filtrate. Protease activity did not differentiate between isolates obtained from symptomatic versus asymptomatic women. The 60-kDa protease, which breaks down into a 43- and 23-kDa subunit, was detected by immunoblotting with anti-23-kDa cross-reacting rabbit serum in the vaginal washes of 3/3 women with active T. vaginalis infe ction, 0/1 woman cured of T. vaginalis and 0/2 control women with vagi nal candidiasis. These results suggest that the 60-kDa protease is fou nd in all isolates testes in vitro, is present in active disease and m ay be important in the pathogenesis of T. vaginalis infection.