The effect of chemical intravaginal contraceptives and Betadine on Ureaplasma urealyticum

An in vitro study was conducted in an effort to find a barrier contraceptive agent capable of controlling infections and sexual transmission of Ureaplasma urealyticum from the female genital tract especially to help reduce nongonococcal urethritis in males caused by this organism. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of 6 intravaginal contraceptives and Betadine against the 8 serotypes of the organism was investigated. All 8 serotypes of Ureaplasma urealyticum exhibited a uniform response to each of the different products tested. Metabolic inhibition of Ureaplasma was examined at 24 48 and 72 hours. At 24 hours metabolic inhibition was observed with 6 of the 8 agents tested. 2 of the agents Betadine solution and Betadine vaginal gel produced inhibition up to 1:64. 4 agents -- Emko foam Delfen foam Kormex ii and Conceptrol -- exhibited inhibition at either 1:16 or 1:32. The 2 other agents NeoSampoon and Encare Oval failed to produce inhibition of the lowest dilution tested. There was no change in the observed endpoint of 1:64 for the Betadine preparations at 48 and 72 hours. 4 of the agents demostrated a decrease in the endpoint upon prolonged incubation to 72 hours with growth of the organism in the lowest dilutions of Emko and Delfen foams. Results of subcultures of all dilutions of the agent-broth mixtures at 5 minutes showed that Betadine in its 2 forms tested Koromex II and Conceptrol produced apparent killing of Ureaplasma at dilutions of 1:32 1:4 and 1:4 respectively. Subcultures after 24 hours of contact between the agent and Ureaplasma indicated a killing effect up to dilutions of 1:64 for the Betadine preparations and 1:4 for Meko foam. All other endpoints remained unchanged at 24 hours. The measurements of the pH of the emulsions and the pH of 1:1 mixture of U9B medium with the agent emulsion ranged from 4.0 (Concetrol) to 7.9 (NeoSampoon) for the agent emulsons and from 4.2 Conceptrol) to 7.3 (Neo Sampoon) for the the U9B-emulsion mixtures. Betadine solution and gel were found to have a pH of 2.5 in saline dilution and 3.5 in solution with U9B broth. On the basis of these "in vitro" experiments the intravaginal contraceptives may have a role in the prevention of sexually transmissble infection or colonization by Ureoplasma.