fumarates and Bacterial-Infections

High performance ion exchange chromatography was employed to evaluate the presence of short chain organic acids in the vaginal fluid of a woman troubled by persistent foul vaginal odor, but who did not have typical bacterial vaginosis. The vaginal secretions from this patient were collected on a weighed cotton swab and eluted into water and extracted by acidified ether. Salts of the acids were back-extracted into aqueous solution and chromatographed on an H-form resin column and compared to commercially available standards. A strikingly large amount of caproic acid was found. The caproic acid disappeared after metronidazole therapy, and a subsequent follow-up chromatogram showed a predominance of lactic acid. The success of this technique in evaluating the present case suggests that such a method may prove useful in other types of vaginal infection.

Topics: Adult; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Bacterial Infections; Caproates; Chromatography, Ion Exchange; Decanoic Acids; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Female; Fumarates; Humans; Keto Acids; Lactates; Odorants; Vaginitis

Strains of anaerobic, gram-negative bacteria, isolated from human clinical specimens and from studies of human normal flora, that have energy metabolism similar to Vibrio succinogenes are described. Included are four human isolates of V. succinogenes, five similar strains of motile straight rods, three strains of Bacteroides corrodens, and two unidentified strains. All strains studied grew poorly in usual anaerobic broth media but produced good turbidity in overnight broth cultures in media containing fromate and fumarate, indicating that all have an energy metabolism similar to V. succinogenes: they gain energy by the transfer of electrons from formate or hydrogen to fumarate.

Topics: Asparagine; Aspartic Acid; Bacterial Infections; Bacteroides; Eikenella corrodens; Electron Transport; Energy Metabolism; Formates; Fumarates; Gram-Negative Anaerobic Bacteria; Humans; Malates; Nitrates; Vibrio