Colonisation of pregnant and puerperal women and neonates with Chlamydia trachomatis.
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.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology*; D011645:Puerperal Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D012007:Rectum / Q000382:microbiology; D014521:Urethra / Q000382:microbiology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G