Prospective study of chlamydial infection in neonates.
Chlamydia trachomatis was recovered from the cervices of 4% (36/900) of pregnant women tested. 20 infants born through chlamydia-infected cervices were followed up for a year, as were 18 infants born to chlamydia-negative mothers. A statistically significant excess of conjunctivitis and pneumonia was found in infants exposed to chlamydia. The attack-rate for inclusion conjunctivitis was 35% (7/20) and for chlamydial pneumonia it was 20% (4/20). Chlamydiae were recovered from 10 of the 20 (50%) exposed infants, and seroconversion was demonstrated in 14 (70%). None of the 18 unexposed infants showed evidence of chlamydial infection. Thus in our clinic 2.8% of all newborns acquired chlamydial infection, with incidence-rates of 14 cases of conjunctivitis and 8 cases of pneumonia per 1000 live births. Neonatal chlamydial infection is thus a major public-health problem warranting a preventive programme based on the fuller provision of diagnostic services and the treatment of infected pregnant women.
D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000635:transmission; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology; D003235:Conjunctivitis, Inclusion / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000635:transmission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D002575:Uterine Cervicitis / Q000635:transmission