Biomedical subjects

N E Moon

Publications and source records attributed to N E Moon.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1978

Cervical and vaginal bacterial flora: ecologic niches in the female lower genital tract.

The bacterial flora of the cervix and vaginal vault were compared by obtaining duplicate specimens for quantitative bacteriologic studies in 14 patients electively admitted for hysterectomy. There were a total of 137 isolates from the 28 specimens, including 71 aerobes and 66 anaerobes. Aggregate data showed that the flora of the two sample sites were similar by both qualitative and quantitative analysis. However, individual comparison of paired specimens showed considerable differences in that 75 of the 137 isolates were recovered from only the cervix or vaginal vault. Additional studies showed that neither low concentrations of bacteria nor the culture techniques accounted for these differences. It is concluded that most women harbor distinctive bacterial populations in the cervix and vaginal vault.

Aerobiosis↗

PubMed1978

Adherence of Bacteroides fragilis in vivo.

The ability of the encapsulated species Bacteroides fragilis to adhere to rat peritoneal mesothelium was compared to the adherence of unecapsulated strains of Bacteroides (B. distasonis, B. vulgatus, B. thetaiotaomicron, B. ovatus, and B. "other"). Adherence was assayed by attaching plexiglas plates containing 8-mm holes to the peritoneal mesothelium of anesthetized rats. Cell suspension (0.25 ml) was incubated in each well, after which the suspension was aspirated, and a 4-mm punch biopsy was removed. Viable organisms adhering to the biopsy specimen were enumerated by plate count following washing of the biopsy tissue. It was found that B. fragilis adhered significantly better to mesothelial tissue (10(3.00) colony-forming units per biopsy) than unencapsulated species of Bacteroides (10(1.07) colony-forming units per biopsy). This effect was not due to differential oxygen sensitivity of the various inocula. Immunization of rats with capsular polysaccharide did not demonstrate decrease in the adherence of B. fragilis; however, preincubation of the mesothelium with purified capsular polysaccharide resulted in a substantial reduction in adherence. These results indicate that B. fragilis adheres to rat peritoneal mesothelium better than unencapsulated species and suggests that the capsular polysaccharide of B. fragilis plays some role in this increased adherence.

Animals↗

PubMed1977

Methods for quantitative vaginal flora studies.

Quantitative bacteriology of the vaginal flora was performed with two techniques: One was a quantitative loop of vaginal secretions and the second was duplicate swabs of the vaginal fornix with one swab for bacteriologic studies and the second to determine specimen weight. Both sampling methods were evaluated for accuracy in weight or volume measurements. Comparison of the two methods in eight volunteers showed reasonably good correlation although the duplicate swab technique gave somewhat higher mean counts and more bacterial species. Advantages and limitations of these methods for quantitative vaginal flora studies are discussed.

Bacteriological Techniques↗