Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The British Journal of Venereal Diseases logoLink to The British Journal of Venereal Diseases
. 1980 Apr;56(2):96–100. doi: 10.1136/sti.56.2.96

Colonisation of pregnant and puerperal women and neonates with Chlamydia trachomatis.

P A Mårdh, I Helin, S Bobeck, J Laurin, T Nilsson
PMCID: PMC1045741  PMID: 6770959

Abstract

Chlamydia trachomatis was cultured from cervical specimens of 14 (16.1%) of 231 women applying for legal abortion and from 23 (8.7%) of 273 puerperal women. The chlamydial isolation rate was related to the women's age. Of the pregnant and puerperal women under 20 years C trachomatis was isolated in 10% and 24% respectively; in those aged between 20 and 24 years the rates were 8.7% and 10.2% respectively whereas in those over 24 years the rates were 4.2% in both groups. Chlamydia were isolated more frequently from cervical specimens than from urethral specimens. However, if a cervical specimen alone had been examined the diagnosis would have been missed in three (17%) of 18 women. IgG antichlamydial antibodies (titre greater than or equal to 1/32) were detected by a micro-immunofluorescence test in samples of cord blood from 35 (25%) of 139 infants of the puerperal women. Of the 23 infants born to mothers harbouring chlamydia in the cervix C trachomatis was isolated from the conjuntival folds in five (22.5%). The chlamydial isolation rate from the eyes of the neonates was related to the time of sampling. None of the 108 infants examined between 6 and 7 days old was chlamydia-positive whereas chlamydia could be recovered from the conjunctival folds of four of them when re-examined from three to 23 days later.

Full text

PDF
96

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Beem M. O., Saxon E. M. Respiratory-tract colonization and a distinctive pneumonia syndrome in infants infected with Chlamydia trachomatis. N Engl J Med. 1977 Feb 10;296(6):306–310. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197702102960604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beem M. O., Saxon E., Tipple M. A. Treatment of chlamydial pneumonia of infancy. Pediatrics. 1979 Feb;63(2):198–203. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Berger R. E., Alexander E. R., Harnisch J. P., Paulsen C. A., Monda G. D., Ansell J., Holmes K. K. Etiology, manifestations and therapy of acute epididymitis: prospective study of 50 cases. J Urol. 1979 Jun;121(6):750–754. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)56978-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Burns D. C., Darougar S., Thin R. N., Lothian L., Nicol C. S. Isolation of Chlamydia from women attending a clinic for sexually transmitted disease. Br J Vener Dis. 1975 Oct;51(5):314–318. doi: 10.1136/sti.51.5.314. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Burrows B., Knudson R. J., Lebowitz M. D. The relationship of childhood respiratory illness to adult obstructive airway disease. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1977 May;115(5):751–760. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1977.115.5.751. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chandler J. W., Alexander E. R., Pheiffer T. A., Wang S. P., Holmes K. K., English M. Ophthalmia neonatorum associated with maternal chlamydial infections. Trans Sect Ophthalmol Am Acad Ophthalmol Otolaryngol. 1977 Mar-Apr;83(2):302–308. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Freedman A., al-Hussaini M. K., Dunlop M. C., Emarah M. H., Garland J. A., Harper I. A., Jones B. R., Race J. W., Du Toit M. S., Treharne J. D. Infection by TRIC agent and other members of the Bedsonia group; with a note on Reiter's disease. II. Ophthalmia neonatorum due to TRIC agent. Trans Ophthalmol Soc U K. 1966;86:313–320. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Frommell G. T., Rothenberg R., Wang S., McIntosh K. Chlamydial infection of mothers and their infants. J Pediatr. 1979 Jul;95(1):28–32. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(79)80077-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gordon F. B., Harper I. A., Quan A. L., Treharne J. D., Dwyer R. S., Garland J. A. Detection of Chlamydia (Bedsonia) in certain infections of man. I. Laboratory procedures: comparison of yolk sac and cell culture for detection and isolation. J Infect Dis. 1969 Oct;120(4):451–462. doi: 10.1093/infdis/120.4.451. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hallberg A., Mårdh P. A., Persson K., Ripa T. Pneumonia associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection in an infant. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1979 Sep;68(5):765–767. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1979.tb18455.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hilton A. L., Richmond S. J., Milne J. D., Hindley F., Clarke S. K. Chlamydia A in the female genital tract. Br J Vener Dis. 1974 Feb;50(1):1–10. doi: 10.1136/sti.50.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jones B. R. The prevention of blindness from trachoma. Trans Ophthalmol Soc U K. 1975 Apr;95(1):16–33. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mordhorst C. H., Dawson C. Sequelae of neonatal inclusion conjunctivitis and associated disease in parents. Am J Ophthalmol. 1971 Apr;71(4):861–867. doi: 10.1016/0002-9394(71)90256-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mårdh P. A., Ripa T., Svensson L., Weström L. Chilamydia trachomatis infection in patients with acute salpingitis. N Engl J Med. 1977 Jun 16;296(24):1377–1379. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197706162962403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Nayyar K. C., O'Neill J. J., Hambling M. H., Waugh M. A. Isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis from women attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Br J Vener Dis. 1976 Dec;52(6):396–398. doi: 10.1136/sti.52.6.396. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Paavonen J., Saikku P., Vesterinen E., Meyer B., Vartiainen E., Saksela E. Genital chlamydial infections in patients attending a gynaecological outpatient clinic. Br J Vener Dis. 1978 Aug;54(4):257–261. doi: 10.1136/sti.54.4.257. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rees E., Tait I. A., Hobson D., Byng R. E., Johnson F. W. Neonatal conjunctivitis caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Br J Vener Dis. 1977 Jun;53(3):173–179. doi: 10.1136/sti.53.3.173. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ripa K. T., Mårdh P. A. Cultivation of Chlamydia trachomatis in cycloheximide-treated mccoy cells. J Clin Microbiol. 1977 Oct;6(4):328–331. doi: 10.1128/jcm.6.4.328-331.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Ripa K. T., Svensson L., Mårdh P. A., Weström L. Chlamydia trachomatis cervicitis in gynecologic outpatients. Obstet Gynecol. 1978 Dec;52(6):698–702. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rooney J. C., Williams H. E. The relationship between proved viral bronchiolitis and subsequent wheezing. J Pediatr. 1971 Nov;79(5):744–747. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(71)80385-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Schachter J. Chlamydial infections (third of three parts). N Engl J Med. 1978 Mar 9;298(10):540–549. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197803092981005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Schachter J., Dawson C. R. Is trachoma an ocular component of a more generalised chlamydial infection? Lancet. 1979 Mar 31;1(8118):702–703. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)91151-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Tipple M. A., Beem M. O., Saxon E. M. Clinical characteristics of the afebrile pneumonia associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection in infants less than 6 months of age. Pediatrics. 1979 Feb;63(2):192–197. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Treharne J. D., Darougar S., Jones B. R. Modification of the microimmunofluorescence test to provide a routine serodiagnostic test for chlamydial infection. J Clin Pathol. 1977 Jun;30(6):510–517. doi: 10.1136/jcp.30.6.510. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Treharne J. D., Darougar S., Simmons P. D., Thin R. N. Rapid diagnosis of chlamydial infection of the cervix. Br J Vener Dis. 1978 Dec;54(6):403–408. doi: 10.1136/sti.54.6.403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wang S. P., Grayston J. T. Human serology in Chlamydia trachomatis infection with microimmunofluorescence. J Infect Dis. 1974 Oct;130(4):388–397. doi: 10.1093/infdis/130.4.388. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Watson P. G., Gairdner D. TRIC agent as a cause of neonatal eye sepsis. Br Med J. 1968 Aug 31;3(5617):527–528. doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5617.524-a. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Venereal Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES