[Change in the vaginal smear cycle following conventionalization and monocontamination of germ-free rats with Enterobacter cloacae].
The relationship between the microbial organism infection and the vaginal smear cycle was investigated using 12 germfree Wistar Imamichi rats at 50 days of age. Germfree rats exhibited continuous vaginal cornification which occasionally interrupted by the appearance of nucleated epithelial cells. However, leukocytes which are characteristic of the metestrus and diestrus stage in conventional rats were not observed in the vaginal smear of these animals. At 70 days of age, 8 animals were taken out from the germfree isolator and conventionalized. In other 4 animals, the vaginal lumen was contaminated with Enterobacter cloacae in the isolator. Within 3 days after the treatments, leukocytes appeared in the vaginal smear of all animals in both groups. Thereafter, these animals continued the regular 4 days vaginal cycle to 90 days of age, at which the observation was terminated. The above results suggested that the appearance of leukocytes in the vaginal smear in the rat is closely related to the bacterial colonization in the lumen, together with the action of the progesterone secreted from the ovary.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D004754:Enterobacter / Q000502:physiology*; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000502:physiology*; D004971:Estrus; D005260:Female; D005856:Germ-Free Life; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000502:physiology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000662:veterinary*
D011374:Progesterone