Neonatal chlamydial conjunctivitis. A long term follow-up study.
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) was isolated from eyes of 33 out of 160 infants with neonatal conjunctivitis. In nineteen (58%) of the infants with chlamydial conjunctivitis Ct could also be isolated from the nasopharynx. All infants were treated with oral erythromycin ethylsuccinate 25 mg/kg every 12 hours for 14 days combined with lid hygiene. All were clinically cured, and none had a relapse of clinical Ct conjunctivitis during an observation period of one year. However, one infant had persistent asymptomatic chlamydial eye infection, two displayed a persistent infection of the nasopharynx, and one infant's vagina was infected despite therapy. Serum IgG antibodies to Ct were significantly more often detected in clinical cases (90%) than in controls (33%) (p less than 0.01). Infants with conjunctivitis developed detectable IgM antibodies to Ct in 43% as compared to 7% in controls (p less than 0.01).
Sandström
I
I
Department of Ophthalmology, Karolinska Institute, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
Kallings
I
I
Melen
B
B
D003235:Conjunctivitis, Inclusion / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015643:Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male
D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D015643:Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate; D004917:Erythromycin