A. Quesnel et al., COMPARATIVE-ANALYSIS OF METHODS FOR COLLECTION AND MEASUREMENT OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS IN CERVICAL AND VAGINAL SECRETIONS OF WOMEN, Journal of immunological methods, 202(2), 1997, pp. 153-161
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.