Specific-pathogen-free pigs as an animal model for studying Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate pigs as a large-animal model for female genital infection with two Chlamydia trachomatis human serovar E strains. Sixteen-week-old specific-pathogen-free female pigs (gilts) were intravaginally infected with the trachoma type E reference strain Bour or the urogenital serovar E strain 468. Several conclusions can be drawn from our findings on the pathogenicity of a primary C. trachomatis genital infection in gilts. First of all, we demonstrated that the serovar E strains Bour and 468 could ascend in the genital tract of gilts. The serovar E strains could replicate in the superficial columnar cervical epithelium and in the superficial epithelial layer of the uterus, which are known to be the specific target sites for a C. trachomatis genital infection in women. Second, inflammation and pathology occurred at the replication sites. Third, the organisms could trigger a humoral immune response, as demonstrated by the presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG, and IgA in both serum and genital secretion samples. Our findings imply that the pig model might be useful for studying the pathology, pathogenesis, and immune response to a C. trachomatis infection of the genital system.

[Inhaled foreign bodies in 50 patients in South Vietnam, mainly caused by naseberry (Sapodilla)]. / Une série de 50 cas d'inhalation de corps étranger au Sud Viêt-nam (cause principale: le noyau de sapotier).

Inhalation of foreign bodies is relatively frequent in children, but exceptional in adults. Various kinds of foreign bodies can be inhaled, the type generally depends on eating habits in adults. We reviewed a series of 50 consecutive cases of inhaled foreign bodies and found that naseberry fruits (Sapodilla plum) was the primary cause, followed by bone debris. This series is typical of Eastern Asia, particularly South Vietnam. Most of the foreign bodies were extracted under local anesthesia using fibroscopy with a foreign body forceps. Most of the foreign bodies were on the right side. The naseberry nut is not radio-opaque, so diagnosis was generally established late after infectious complications. The endoscopic aspect was typical and should be recognized by endoscopists working in Vietnam.