Evaluation of a murine model of experimental trichomoniasis

Abstract

By using a reference strain of Trichomonas vaginalis and the intraperitoneal route for infecting animals, the influence of the strain of mice, the time observation and the inoculation doses were followed in order to standardize the optimal conditions for the evolution of experimental trichomoniasis. Our results suggest that the inoculation of BALB/c mice with 107 trichomonads and the semiquantitative assessment at day 15 postinfection of the gross-pathologic changes in the abdominal cavity - peritoneum, spleen, pancreas, stomach and liver - as well as the presence of ascitic fluid and mortality, maybe a suitable laboratory model of trichomoniasis.