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closeTrimethylamine, a marker for BV
Posted by urbfo on 22 Feb 2013 at 10:29 GMT
I have with interest read your paper.
I noted the wide range of metabolites you found. I wonder if you were able to analyze for trimethylamine (TMA) and/or trimethylamine oxide (TMAO)? TMA is the best characterized metabolite that accounts for the bad odor of spoiling fish (1). We and others have previously concluded that TMA is essential in elicitation of the bad smell of BV (2,3,4). Addition of analysis for TMA/TMAO in a multi-omics systems-based evaluation of bacterial vaginosis could thus led to insights into the understanding of the pathophysiology of bacterial vaginosis as well as be of diagnostic value.
Urban Forsum, Linköping University, Sweden
References:
1.Barrett EL, Kwan HS. Bacterial reduction of trimethylamine oxide. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1985;39:131-49.
2.Brand JM, Galask RP. Trimethylamine: the substance mainly responsible for the fishy odor often associated with bacterial vaginosis. Obstet Gynecol. 1986 Nov;68(5):682-5.
3.Wolrath H, Ståhlbom B, Hallén A, Forsum U. Trimethylamine and trimethylamine oxide levels in normal women and women with bacterial vaginosis reflect a local metabolism in vaginal secretion as compared to urine. APMIS. 2005 Jul-Aug;113(7-8):513-6.
4.Wolrath H, Borén H, Hallén A, Forsum U. Trimethylamine content in vaginal secretion and its relation to bacterial vaginosis. APMIS. 2002 Nov;110(11):819-24.