The bacterial flora of the female rat genital tract.

A study of the genital microflora in virgin female rats of reproductive age has demonstrated that alpha and nonhemolytic streptococci, Pasteurella pneumotropica, diphtheroid bacilli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Proteus mirabilis are the predominant genital organisms. The pH of the rat vagina was demonstrated to be near neutrality. It is suggested that the higher pH in the rat vagina as compared to the human vagina may account for some of the differences between human and rat genital microflora.