Infection with Simkania negevensis in Brooklyn, New York.
BACKGROUND
Simkania negevensis is a Chlamydia-like intracellular organism that is prevalent in populations from a wide range of geographic areas. The role of the organism in respiratory disease in the United States is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
To study the association between infection with S. negevensis and bronchiolitis, pneumonia or asthma in Brooklyn, New York.


METHODS
Pediatric and adult inpatients/outpatients with bronchiolitis, pneumonia or asthma were recruited, and a similar number of healthy control subjects were enrolled. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained for culture of S. negevensis and Chlamydia pneumoniae and polymerase chain reaction detection of S. negevensis. Sera were obtained for measurement of antibodies to S. negevensis and C. pneumoniae.


RESULTS
One hundred eighty-eight patients and 110 healthy control subjects were enrolled. S. negevensis serologic assays were positive for 18% of patients, compared with 29% of control subjects (P = 0.09). S. negevensis DNA was detected by PCR for 17% of case subjects and 23% of control subjects (P = 0.25). S. negevensis was isolated by culture for 1 patient with bronchiolitis. C. pneumoniae IgG and S. negevensis IgG were found to increase with increasing age, ie, 14%, 50% and 78% (C. pneumoniae) and 13%, 17% and 33% (S. negevensis) for subjects 0-18 months, 18 months-18 years and older than 18 years of age, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
S. negevensis was not a significant respiratory pathogen in Brooklyn, NY, during the period of the study.
Kumar
Swati
S
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. swati.kumar@downstate.edu
Kohlhoff
Stephan A
SA
Gelling
Maureen
M
Roblin
Patricia M
PM
Kutlin
Andrei
A
Kahane
Simona
S
Friedman
Maureen G
MG
Hammerschlag
Margaret R
MR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002695:Chlamydiales / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial