A systematic evaluation of the susceptibility of all Chlamydia trachomatis urogenital serovars (D through K) to levofloxacin, erythromycin, doxycycline, clarithromycin, and azithromycin was performed. All C. trachomatis serovars had comparable susceptibilities with respect to the various antimicrobials tested, thus confirming the homogeneous data so far obtained regarding the susceptibility of C. trachomatis to antimicrobial agents.
In 2008, 50 samples (BAL), coming from hospital patients, with acute respiratory symptoms have been investigated using two real-time PCR methods: one assay for the single detection of Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA and one commercially available real-time duplex PCR assay for the detection of C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae DNA. Both techniques used here showed compliant results, with 100% concordance for detection of C. pneumoniae and 98% for detection of M. pneumoniae. The positive results obtained agreed with the clinical suspicion of such infections in some cases and with the presence of IgM specific for C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae in all cases of acute infection.
Chlamydia suis strains have been associated with pneumonia, conjunctivitis, polyarthritis and reproductive disorders in pigs (Sachse and others 2004). However, asymptomatic infections have also been detected in many herds (Di Francesco and others 2006). The limited epidemiological evidence available suggests that C suis infection in pigs is both common and widespread in Europe, but probably underdiagnosed (Vanrompay and others 2004). Chlamydial infection can be demonstrated by the detection of Chlamydia species in clinical samples and the presence of specific antibodies in sera. To date, the serological screening assays performed (the complement fixation test and ELISA) fail to identify the causative Chlamydia species because their reactions are, as a rule, group specific due to the antigenic cross-reactivity of the chlamydial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (Hoelzle and others 2004).The microimmunofluorescence (MIF) test is claimed to be species specific (Di Francesco and others 2006), but in some cases, crossreactivity between Chlamydia species can make interpretation of results difficult.It is known that neutralising antibodies are produced in response to chlamydial infection in some species (Banks and others 1970, Peterson and others 1990, Girjes and others 1993. In Chlamydia trachomatis infections, this neutralisation is enhanced by complement and, in the absence of functional complement, only high-titred human sera can elicit effective neutralisation (Howard 1975, Megran and others 1988).To the authors' knowledge, there are no studies in which in vitro neutralisation of infectivity of C suis by pig sera has been correlated with a MIF response or with clinical findings. This short communication describes a study to further investigate C suis infection; the presence of neutralising antibodies against C suis in sera from pigs with clinical signs suggestive of C suis infection, and from asymptomatic pigs, was evaluated and the results compared with those obtained using the MIF test.The in vitro neutralising activity of 71 pig serum samples giving a positive result by the MIF test was evaluated against C suis. These samples were collected between 2004 and 2006 from pigs with clinical signs of conjunctivitis and/or reproductive disorders (increased abortion rates), reared in two different farms in Emilia-Romagna (northern Italy). Twenty serum samples collected randomly from a farm in EmiliaRomagna from pigs without signs of conjunctivitis and reproductive problems were tested for the presence of neutralising antibodies as a control; 10 of them were positive at MIF titres between 32 and 64 for antibodies to C suis, and 10 were negative.In the MIF test (Wang and Grayston 1986) and in the neutralisation assay (Donati and others 1996) sucrose gradient purified elementary bodies of C suis Italian isolate MS04 were used. Aliquots of fresh rabbit serum were stored at -70°C until use as a source of complement. Pig sera were heat inactivated at 56°C for 30 minutes and used at a screening dilution of 1:10. The serum and elementa...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.