[Intravaginal bacterial flora and clinical significance of granulocyte elastase and pH determination]

In 95 patients with abnormal vaginal and cervical secreta (49 pregnant women and 46 non-pregnant women), the relation between intravaginal flora and intravaginal granulocyte elastase (Elastase) and pH was investigated. The results were as follows. 1) Gram-positive bacteria were detected in the vaginal secreta at a high rate (87/144, 60.4%), and it mainly consisted of Lactobacillus sp. (67/142, 46.5%). It was followed anaerobia (26/144, 18.1%) and fungi (26/144, 18.1%). 2) The patients with cervicitis or vaginitis had higher elastase value (6.65-6.69 micrograms/ml) than the ones with vaginal erosion, and the patients who showed an intravaginal pH value not lower than 5.0 had significantly increased elastase value (6.44 +/- 1.40 micrograms/ml) than the patients who showed the values 4.5 or higher. 3) Regarding the relation between the detected bacteria and elastase values, elastase values were higher in the patients infected by anaerobia (6.58 +/- 1.40 micrograms/ml), Gram-negative bacteria (6.01 +/- 3.61 micrograms/ml), Gram-positive bacteria (5.02 +/- 0.94 micrograms/ml) and fungi (5.14 +/- 1.08 micrograms/ml) than the values in patients with Lactobacillus sp. (pH < 4.5). Further, the intravaginal pH value was higher than 4.5 in all of these groups, which was higher compared with the one in the patients infected with Lactobacillus sp. (4.04 +/- 0.04).