Keeping an Eye on Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Conjunctivitis in Infants in the United States, 2010-2015.

Perinatal transmission of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) can result in conjunctivitis in infants. We examined national rates of reported CT/GC conjunctivitis among infants. Surveillance of these infections is heavily affected by the completeness of reported data on specimen source and age. Alternative data sources should be evaluated.

An unusual manifestation of a neonatal Chlamydia infection.

A 25-day-old boy was admitted to hospital because of pneumonia and additionally developed symptoms of encephalitis. The immune fluorescence test for Chlamydia trachomatis in tracheal fluids was positive. Furthermore, ligase chain reaction for C trachomatis was positive in the cerebrospinal fluid. The antibiotic regimen was changed to erythromycin intravenously. C trachomatis encephalitis is rare in neonates and may result from a defect in the alternative pathway of complement activation which was the case in this patient.

[Characteristics of perinatal visceral lesions caused by chlamydia trachomatis].

Twenty-three autoptic cases of perinatal chlamydiasis were analyzed. Its etiology was verified by immunofluorescence technique using monoclonal antibodies. The morphological characteristics of visceral lesions are given. Data on the possible routes of infection and evidence for the development of generalized chlamydiasis are presented. The kidney may be suggested to be the site of pathogen persistence.

Chlamydia during pregnancy: implications and impact on perinatal and neonatal outcomes.

Chlamydia is the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in the United States, with an estimated 3 million cases occurring annually. Untreated Chlamydia can cause severe, costly reproductive and other health problems with both short- and long-term consequences. When Chlamydia coexists with pregnancy, it can have negative consequences for the woman, the pregnancy, and the newborn. Nurses are in important positions to ensure safe health care practices for all pregnant women. Awareness of the perinatal implications and routine screening for Chlamydia in pregnant women will provide safer health care for the mother and her baby.

[The clinico-metabolic characteristics of the course of a chlamydial infection in newborns]. / Kliniko-metabolocheskie osobennosti techeniia khlamidiinoi infektsii u novorozhdennykh.

A clinical and laboratory investigation was done in 68 full-term newborn babies, with clinical forms of Chlamydia infection having been identified. There have also been studied cellular and humoral links of immunity, hormonal profile, system of peroxidation, antioxidant defence. In Chlamydia infection in full-term newborns presenting with acute bronchopulmonary pathologies during the acute phase of the illness, signs are noted of activation of processes of free-radical lipid oxidation against the background of retardation of the antioxidant defense, with synthesis of hormones of the thyroidal, hypophyseal and adrenal systems being on the increase. Metabolic changes are directly related to immunologic responsiveness which is characterized by weakness of primary immune response. The degree the above changes make themselves known depend on the clinical form of Chlamydia-associated infection. The identified metabolic changes may be the basis of causative factors for change in capacity of newborn infants with chlamydial infection to adapt.

[Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in newborn infants with respiratory problems]. / Prevalencia de Chlamydia trachomatis en recién nacidos con dificultad respiratoria.

The prevalence of C. trachomatis in neonates with respiratory distress was studied after 24 h of birth, nine patients were positive for C. trachomatis culture (12.9%). The chest radiographs showed six with hyaline membrane disease and two with pneumonia. One patient with treatment of ventilation mechanics developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia and was C. trachomatis positive in a second cell culture. Of the nine patients with C. trachomatis, eight were neonates preterm with low weight to the birth and with leukocytosis. Six patients were delivered by cesarean section. These results suggest that C. trachomatis can participate in an important way in the development of the distress respiratory in infants preterm.

[Morphological diagnosis of intrauterine chlamydia infection and its clinico-anatomical characteristics]. / Morfologicheskaia diagnostika vnutriutrobnogo khlamidioza i ego kliniko-anatomicheskaia kharakteristika.

Clinicomorphological characteristics of intrauterine chlamydiasis (IUC) are given. The authors describe a cottonwool-like meningochorioiditis the observation of which at necropsy allows IUC suspection. Chlamydial etiology of this condition is confirmed by means of electron microscopy and immunofluorescence. Fibroblast proliferation of the pia mater followed by intensive fibrillogenesis plays a most important role in morphogenesis of cottonwool-like nodules. The occurrence of IUC at the necropsies varies depending on the age of foetuses and newborns from 6.2 to 38.7%.

Role of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Chlamydia trachomatis in lung disease in low birth weight infants.

Forty four ventilated premature infants from three Neonatal Intensive Care Units around Melbourne were evaluated prospectively for evidence of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the respiratory tract. No C. trachomatis was found and this probably reflects the low prevalence of genital carriage in antenatal patients in our population. Nine percent of babes were colonized at birth with Ureaplasma urealyticum and 5% acquired colonization. One child whose mother was bacteremic for ureaplasma, had evidence of persistent respiratory colonization and development of pneumonia at day 16 of life, supporting a role for this organism as a respiratory pathogen. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) occurred in 39% of the infants. Ureaplasma carriage correlated significantly with BPD development, as 29% of infants with BPD were ureaplasma positive compared to 4% of those without development of BPD (p = 0.02).

[Chlamydia trachomatis infection in newborn infants]. / Infekcija novoredjenceta uzrocnikom Chlamydia trachomatis.

The aim of our study was to examine the frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in newborns by detecting specific antibodies, and to examine the Apgar score and the birth weight of Chlamydia trachomatis-antibody positive children. Fifty-two newborn infants were tested. High serum IgG chlamydial specific antibody titers had 11 (21%) newborns, while high serum IgM titers had 9 (17%) newborns. Our results showed that serum Chlamydia trachomatis-specific IgM antibodies were detected statistically more often in low birth weight newborns (<2500 g) (p < 0.05).

Immune status of newborns in perinatal chlamydial infection.

PROBLEM: Thirty newborns, delivered by mothers with urogenital chlamydiosis, diagnosed on the 35th-36th weeks of gestation, and 10 newborns of healthy mothers were studied immunologically. CD3 (T-lymphocytes), CD19 (B-lymphocytes), CD4 (T-helpers-inductors), CD8 (T-suppressor-cytotoxic), T-lymphocyte response to PHA, levels of Ig G, A, M in umbilical blood were detected. METHOD: Chlamydia trachomatis antibody's titers in umbilical blood were determined by indirect immunofluorescent method (with antigen C. trachomatis, serovar L2). Antibody titers found in umbilical blood were in 50% of cases higher than antibody level in mother's blood serum, and they later varied from 1:64 to 1:256. It was established that newborns delivered by mothers with urogenital chlamydiosis had imbalance of T-lymphocyte subsets, decrease in the numbers of T- and B- lymphocytes, and increased level of Ig M, while the level of Ig G did not change significantly. The exposed disproportion in immune status neonatal, born from mothers with urogenital chlamydiosis, in combination with high C. trachomatis antibody titers in umbilical blood may be prognostic of the development of neonatal chlamydial infections.

Sexually transmitted diseases in neonates and infants.

With the current resurgence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), familiarity with the clinical manifestations of STDs in neonates and infants is essential to minimize the tragic consequences. The recognized routes of transmission of the diseases include transplacental, intrapartum, and postpartum exposure. This discussion will be confined to infections caused by syphilis, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus, gonorrhea, and chlamydia emphasizing clinical aspects in this population.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection in dizygotic twins delivered by caesarean section.

Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated from the conjunctiva, pharynx, and rectum of one 10 day old twin delivered by caesarean section without prior rupture of the chorioamnion and from the pharynx of her brother. The means by which C trachomatis causes such infection is not known.

Perinatal infections with Chlamydia trachomatis.

Much has been relearned and learned anew about perinatal chlamydial infections during the past 10 to 15 years. The adverse effects of infection on pregnancy outcome have been suggested but not fully documented or explained. Epidemiologic, biologic, and immunologic correlates of risk for infection and complications of pregnancy due to C. trachomatis are not yet fully understood. Increased appreciation of the importance of this organism in pregnancy, coupled with more facile methods for diagnosing infection and with further research using modern molecular techniques, promises to add greatly to the completeness of our knowledge and to our eventual complete control of this infection in pregnancy.