Adherence of bacterial to vaginal epithelial cells.

Vaginal epithelial cells from healthy women were washed and incubated in tissue culture medium with freshly isolated bacteria of the indigenous vaginal flora and with bacteria of species that have been discussed in conjunction with genital infections. After incubation and washing, the number of bacteria that adhered per cell was determined. The influence on the attachment rate of such factors as variations in the washing procedure, bacterial density, and incubation time was assessed. Lactobacillus acidophilus and other bacterial species that occur in the lower genital tract of healthy women, e.g., some strictly anaerobic species, adhered by significantly lower numbers per cell than Neisseria gonorrhoeae, group B streptococci, and Corynebacterium vaginale. Significantly more freshly isolated gonococci adhered per cell than gonococci that had been passaged on artificial medium. The adherence of gonococci increased with increasing acidity of the test medium.