[Antibacterial activity of cervical mucus in pregnant or non-pregnant women].
Antibacterial activities of human cervical mucus obtained from non-pregnant and pregnant women were tested using standard blood agar plates. The combined effect of cervical mucus with cefmetazole (CMZ) was also investigated. Obtained results are summarized as follows. 1. Cervical mucus specimens obtained from 6 subjects at 9 to 36 weeks of pregnancy showed antibacterial activity to only one strain of Bacillus subtilis among organisms tested. The cervical mucus enhanced the activity of CMZ against 1 strain of Streptococcus pyogenes and 2 strains of Micrococcus luteus, but no effect was observed against other organisms tested. 2. Cervical mucus specimens obtained from non-pregnant women showed antibacterial activities to 8 of 11 strains (72.7%) of B. subtilis tested. The cervical mucus enhanced the activities of CMZ against 1 strain of S. pyogenes and 3 strains of B. subtilis. The tested organisms included Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacteroides fragilis, S. pyogenes, B. subtilis, M. luteus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans, but, as described above, cervical mucus samples showed antimicrobial activities only against B. subtilis (9/17, 52.9%), and specimens obtained only from non-pregnant women or pregnant women with less than 11 weeks of pregnancy showed any antimicrobial activities.
Chimura
T
T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology School of Medicine, Yamagata University.
Nakahara
M
M
D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D015311:Cefmetazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009093:Mucus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*
D015311:Cefmetazole