Vaginal swabs were tested for the presence of blood, cellular material, spermatozoa, acid phosphatase, p30, ABH, Lewis, EsD, GLO, and PGM subtype. Methods included rocket electrophoresis and p-nitrophenyl phosphate assay for acid phosphatase; rocket and cross-over electrophoresis for p30. Results from 323 semen-free and postcoital vaginal swabs from known donors are presented. Comparison of methods showed that seminal acid phosphatase and p30 were detected more often by the rocket techniques. Attributing the grouping results to semen, based on the reactivity of any single component, could lead to erroneous conclusions. Activation of vaginal components in the presence of semen and endogenous vaginal level are discussed. 3 tables and 23 references. (Publisher abstract)