Recovery of Chlamydia trachomatis from the endometria of women with unexplained infertility.

Fifty-two women with unexplained infertility and 55 controls with recently proved fertility were screened for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection in the blood and genital tract. Serum antibody titration was performed with indirect fluorescence. Cell cultures were performed to screen for CT in urethral and endocervical swabs, in endometrial samples taken without endocervical contamination and in salpingeal and/or peritoneal fluid samples. Anti-CT serum antibodies were detected in 36.5% of the patients; CT was isolated in urethral cultures in 26.9%, endocervical cultures in 23.1%, endometrial cultures in 25% and endosalpingeal and/or peritoneal fluid cultures in 1.9%. Comparison of the results in the patients and controls showed a significant difference in the incidence of CT infection in endometrial, urethral and endocervical cultures. Chlamydial endometritis could have been the direct cause of infertility in the patients studied or merely might have indicated endosalpingitis that was not detectable at laparoscopy.

[In vitro sensitivity of 3 strains of Leptospira interrogans to 3 different antibiotics]. / Suscettibilità in vitro di tre ceppi di Leptospira interrogans a tre differenti antibiotici.

Leptospirosis, anthropo-zoonosis ubiquitously widespread, is a social and economic problem still to be solved. The experimental and therapeutic employment of many antibiotics has largely been tested "in vitro" and "in vivo". In the following research we tried to evaluate, by experimental "in vitro" method, the sensitivity difference of three serovar strains of Leptospira interrogans to two macrolides, Erythromycin and Josamycin, compared with Penicillin. From standard cultures, previously treated with serial dilution of these antibiotics, the MIC and MSC, as quantitative parameters, have been stated. For the qualitative evaluation of the damages induced at ultrastructural level by the drug activity. Electron Microscopy investigations were performed on specimens from cultures treated for 6 hr with twice and tenfold the MSC. The present research confirms the good sterilizing efficaciousness "in vitro" of the tested macrolides (MSC less than 1 mcg/ml) and their different activity pathway.

[Presence of auto-antibodies in patients who are candidates for heart transplant]. / Presenza di autoanticorpi in pazienti candidati al trapianto cardiaco.

A preliminary research, in order to evaluate by immunofluorescent technique the prevalence of heart specific and non specific autoantibodies, has been performed on a population of 58 cardiac patients, allograft applying. Two other populations (cardiac patients not allograft candidates, and healthy blood donors), were also tested as controls. Significant differences in the presence of specific anti-heart antibodies were revealed among the three populations (89.7, 39.1 and 10%, respectively). No relevant correlation has appeared with the antibody titer between the two groups of cardiac patients.

Intracellular killing of Brucella melitensis within mouse peritoneal macrophages: influence of treatment with rifampicin. An ultrastructural study.

The aggregation and condensation of ribosomes and the disjunction of the cell-wall membranous system are the ultrastructural alterations caused by rifampicin on B. melitensis cultured in Brucella-Broth medium. Our ultrastructural researches carried out on mouse peritoneal macrophages infected with B. melitensis and treated with rifampicin (1 microgram/ml) have demonstrated that vacuoles containing B. melitensis which had been damaged by the drug fuse with lysosomes. On the contrary vacuoles containing undamaged and viable Brucellae showed markedly impaired lysosomal fusion.

Toxoplasma gondii: in vivo and in vitro immunological and ultrastructural patterns of a human low virulent strain.

The AA. analyze the ultrastructural and immunological patterns of a low virulent strain of T. gondii cultured in vitro on A-9 cells line (PV-H1C-83). The tissue culture method described here is highly recommended to study the immunological aspects of experimental toxoplasmosis. Biological tests' results and the time courses of serological tests are also similar to those obtained from mice infected with cerebral tissue containing cysts. The low virulent strain (PV-H1C-83), when cultured in vitro, is able to induce the formation of large parasitophorous vacuoles, in which the EM investigation shows a typical cyst wall enveloping numerous bradyzoites.

A comparative ultrastructural study of the low virulent strain PV-C1/81 and RH strain cultured in A9, Vero, SIRC cell lines.

A human Toxoplasma strain, isolated in mice from bioptic lymphoglandular tissue, has been cultured in vitro in continuous cell lines. Its presence in some parastized cells, with parasitophorous vacuoles surrounded by a cyst-like wall and filled with a cystozoite-like clone, was observed by electron microscopy. These characteristic and constant features were confined in different cell line cultures and are suggested as possible markers of low virulent strains.

Reliability of IgM-IFA and IgM-IHA tests on pure IgM fractions obtained by a simple gel filtration method in acquired and congenital toxoplasmosis.

We have devised a rapid and inexpensive gel filtration method to separate IgM fractions from small amounts of serum. These fractions have been titrated with IgM-IFAT and IgM-IHAT, and their titers have been compared with those obtained on whole serum. The results show that the separation of IgM from IgG allows detection of IgM antibodies in many cases of acquired toxoplasmosis, especially in cases of congenital toxoplasmosis. False positive results due to the presence of rheumatoid factors are also avoided. The IHA test performed on IgM fractions is constantly negative.

Control of endotoxinemia in liver disease by lactulose and paromomycin.

Through the use of the Limulus test research has been carried out on gram-negative endotoxin in patients with hepatic cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, acute hepatitis, and in a control group. The positivity of this test in patients with cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis was 93.3% and in cases of acute hepatitis it was 90.9%. The effect of the combined administration of lactulose and paromomycin on endotoxin blood levels has been evaluated in a group of 9 patients with acute hepatitis, 8 with cirrhosis, 1 in hepatic coma, and 1 patient with chronic persistent hepatitis: in 18 of the 19 patients the Limulus test became negative. The results have been discussed in relation to clinical and laboratory data, and to recent data concerning the interaction between intestinal bacterial flora, endotoxin, and liver. Hypotheses have been proposed regarding the hepatocellular c-AMP mediated mechanism of endotoxin action.

Inhibiting effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the chemotaxis of human leukocytes in vitro.

Chemotaxis of human leukocytes was inhibited in vitro by four non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, namely, lysine acetylsalicylate, phenylbutazone, indomethacin, and indoprofen. Dose-dependent effects were always found and significant regression was proved for all drugs except phenylbutazone.