COMPARATIVE-ANALYSIS OF METHODS FOR COLLECTION AND MEASUREMENT OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS IN CERVICAL AND VAGINAL SECRETIONS OF WOMEN

The purpose of this study was to systematically compare 3 collection m ethods, Sno-strips, wicks and cervical-vaginal lavage, for analysis of immunoglobulin concentrations in female genital secretions. In each o f 8 women, absorbent wicks and Sno-strips were applied at 4 locations: the lateral wall of the vagina; the posterior vaginal fornix; the sur face of the exocervix; and the endocervical canal. Cervical-vaginal la vage was then performed in 4 women with 5 mi PBS. Immunoglobulin and p rotein concentrations in lavage samples were generally over 100 times lower than in the secretions captured directly from mucosal surfaces w ith either Sno-strips or wicks. Capture of undiluted secretions with e ither wicks or Sno-strips allowed calculation of actual immunoglobulin concentrations at specific mucosal sites: for example, median IgA lev els were consistently highest in the endocervix and lowest in the vagi na. Such information may be crucial in evaluating the correlates of pr otective immunity against micro-organisms that infect or invade discre te regions of the genital mucosa.