Inducible immunity to Trichomonas vaginalis in a mouse model of vaginal infection

We studied the protective effect of subcutaneous immunization with Trichomonas vaginalis in a mouse model of vaginal infection. BALB/c mice were immunized with various doses of T. vaginalis (4.5 x 10(5), 9 x 10(6), and 1 x 10(8) organisms per ml) suspended in Freund's complete adjuvant 56 days prior to vaginal infection and were given booster injections of the same doses of T. vaginalis in Freund's incomplete adjuvant 4 weeks later. Control mice were immunized and given booster injections of phosphate-buffered saline suspended in Freund's complete and incomplete adjuvants. The mice were tail bled and vaginal washes were performed at weekly intervals for 4 weeks to determine the isolation of T. vaginalis and the serum and vaginal antibody reactivity. Mice which had been immunized and given booster immunizations had significantly fewer intravaginal infections and had increased serum and vaginal antibody responses compared with those of control mice (P < 0.01). Mice that were vaginally infected, treated with metronidazole, and then reinfected vaginally did not develop protective immunity. Subcutaneous immunization with whole T. vaginalis organisms appears to confer protection against intravaginal challenge with T. vaginalis, protection which is not achieved as a result of prior vaginal infection.