Deoxyribonucleic acid of Chlamydia trachomatis in fresh tissue from the Fallopian tubes of patients with ectopic pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
The role of persistent chlamydial infection of the Fallopian tubes in ectopic pregnancy is still unresolved. Therefore, we examined tissue of the Fallopian tubes from patients with ectopic pregnancy for the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis. In addition, other markers of C. trachomatis infection implicated in the pathogenesis of tubal damage were studied including antibodies to heat shock protein 60 of chlamydial and human origin.


METHODS
Fresh frozen tubal tissue from 55 patients with ectopic pregnancy in a hospital setting were examined for the presence of C. trachomatis DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and blood sample were analysed for antibodies to C. trachomatis including heat shock protein 60 (hsp60).


RESULTS
Chlamydial DNA was not detected in any of the 55 tubal specimens using a commercial test, Cobas Amplicor, Roche, and an in-house real time PCR able to detect a few copies of the organism. Logistic regression showed that chlamydial IgG antibodies were more common in a subgroup of patients with previous PID than in controls (OR=7.84, CI 1.78-34.6). Specific antibodies to hsp60 of chlamydial (OR=7.00, CI 1.50-32.6) but not of human origin (OR=2.13, CI 0.14-31.6) were associated with ectopic pregnancy in this group.


CONCLUSIONS
No evidence of persistent infection of C. trachomatis in the fallopian tubes at the time of ectopic pregnancy was found in this study.
Bjartling
Carina
C
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Malmö University Hospital, SE 205 02 Malmö, Sweden. Carina.Bjartling@skane.se
Osser
Stellan
S
Persson
Kenneth
K
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000276:immunology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000150:complications*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005184:Fallopian Tube Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011274:Pregnancy, Tubal / Q000382:microbiology*
D018834:Chaperonin 60; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G