title: Emerging role of Chlamydia and Chlamydia-like organisms in adverse pregnancy outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This review considers the roles of Chlamydia spp. and newly identified Chlamydia-like organisms in miscarriage, stillbirths and preterm labour in both animals and humans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cause of miscarriage, stillbirth and preterm labour often remains unexplained. Intracellular bacteria that grow either poorly or not at all on media used routinely to detect human pathogens could be the aetiological agents of these obstetrical conditions. There is growing evidence that Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydophila abortus, Chlamydophila psittaci and Chlamydophila pneumoniae infections may result in adverse pregnancy outcomes in humans and/or animals. Waddlia, a Chlamydia-like organism first isolated from an aborted bovine, has emerged as an agent of abortion in cattle. Recently, Waddlia was also implicated in human foetal death. Moreover, Parachlamydia acanthamoebae is also abortigenic in ruminants. Whether additional novel Chlamydia-like organisms, such as Protochlamydia amoebophila, Neochlamydia hartmanellae, Criblamydia sequanensis, Rhabdochlamydia crassificans and Simkania negevensis, are involved in foetal loss or premature delivery remains to be determined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This review provides an update on the consequences of chlamydial infection during pregnancy and summarizes current evidence suggesting that some Chlamydia-related organisms are probably emerging obstetrical pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Intracellular Bacteria (CRIB), Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baud
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Regan
authors.forename: Gilbert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Greub
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002694:Chlamydiaceae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology*; D002695:Chlamydiales / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000382:microbiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology*; D050497:Stillbirth