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Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University has recently set up its routine laboratory survice for the diagnosis of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and other viruses associated with respiratory diseases. During the initial period from August 1989 to September 1990, specimens from 70 patients admitted at Srinagarind Hospital were requested to be investigated. Among these, 28 were suspected of HSV and 42 were associated with respiratory tract infection. HSV was isolated and identified in 35.7% of the former group. Of the latter with respiratory tract infection, enterovirus, adenovirus, HSV, respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus type 3 were found to be the cause in 7.1, 7.1, 7.1, 2.4 and 2.4% respectively.
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Clinacanthus nutans Lindau (C. nutans) is a well-known medicinal plant used in Thai folklore medicine for treatment of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. To study the inhibitory activity of crude ethyl acetate extract of C. nutans against HSV type 1 strain F (HSV-1F), crude ethyl acetate extract of C. nutans was tested in vitro on the Vero cells by using plaque reduction assay. The results showed that crude extract did not exert cytotoxic effects against Vero cells at the concentration of 19 \μg/ml or below and the CC₅₀ was 76 \μg/ml. The viruses were mixed with C. nutans crude extract at the subtoxic concentration of 19 \μg/ml and adsorbed on Vero cells. The infected Vero cells were then incubated in medium containing with crude extract. The results revealed that C. nutans crude extract completely (100%) inhibited the HSV-1F plaque formation and the IC₅₀ was 7.6 \μg/ml. To study the possible mode of antiviral action of crude extract, the experiment was conducted separately on the pre-or post-infection stage. In the pre-infection stage, crude extract produced 97% plaque reduction in a time-dependent manner, whereas it did not exert the inhibitory effect in the post-infection stages. This study suggested that the antiviral mode of action of crude ethyl acetate extract of C. nutans was effective greatly at the pre-infection stage, which may be due to the virucidal activity, inhibition of the viral attachment or the penetration. Therefore, there is still a clear need to further identify the possible mechanism of antiviral infection at the pre-infection stage of C. nutans crude extract at both the molecular and cellular levels.
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Objective: To determine the prevalence of chlamydial infection in the lower genital tract, patient demographics and reproductive health, among infertile women being treated at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.Design: Descriptive studySetting: Infertility Clinic, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.Subjects: Infertile women attending the Clinic between June 2000 and June 2001.Methods: Screening for Chlamydial trachomatis was initiated at Srinagarind Hospital's Infertility Clinic in June 2000. Specimens were taken by endocervical swabs at the first visit from 70 consecutive patients for PCR and GENPROBE testing. Demographic and reproductive health data were recorded.Outcome measurement: The prevalence of chlamydial infection in the lower genital tract in infertile women being treated at the Hospital.Results: The overall chlamydial infection rate was 1.43% (0.04-7.70 95% CI). The average of studied women was 29.6 years. The proportion of primary and secondary infertility was 81.4 and 18.6 %, respectively. The average length of infertility was 4.6 years. Only 28.6% of the consecutive women had previously used contraception of which 85% was a combined contraceptive tablets.Conclusion: The prevalence of chlamydial infection in the lower genital tract of infertile women at Srinagarind Hospital was 1.43%. Keywords: Chlamydial infection; Infertile women