Fourteen isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae, 12 from clinically ill patients and 2 from subjectivel... more Fourteen isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae, 12 from clinically ill patients and 2 from subjectively healthy individuals from an area within a 400-km proximity of Gävle, Sweden, and strain IOL-207, originally from the eye of an Iranian child, were tested for susceptibilities to the antibiotics doxycycline and azithromycin. MICs and minimum chlamydiacidal concentrations were found to correlate well with values reported earlier by other investigators. In addition to MIC and minimum chlamydiacidal concentration testing, testing for the viability of C. pneumoniae after exposure to antibiotic concentrations as high as 50 mg/liter was carried out by passaging antibiotic-treated, infected cell cultures four times in the absence of antibiotics. It was found that all Chlamydia strains were viable after four passages, regardless of antibiotic concentration in the cell culture.
Cumulative evidence suggests a positive association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) infection ... more Cumulative evidence suggests a positive association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) infection and risk of future coronary events among patients with stable coronary artery disease. However, its prognostic role in unstable coronary syndromes is less well defined. Because Cpn immunoglobulin A (IgA) may be a more reliable indicator of chronic infection than immunoglobulin G (IgG), we speculated that in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (ACS), this marker might serve as a more useful prognostic tool. Accordingly, we evaluated plasma samples acquired at presentation in 178 patients with ACS for a possible association between Cpn IgA titer and biochemical evidence of myocardial injury. Cpn IgG (positive if > or =1:32), and IgA titers (positive if > or =1:16) were measured by use of the microimmunofluorescence technique in 70 patients with ACS in whom myocardial injury developed associated with their presenting events (elevated CK-MB and/or troponin I); and in 108 patients with ACS without such injury. The odds ratios (ORs) for myocardial injury associated with consecutive antibody titers were determined for each of Cpn IgG and IgA. Multiple logistic regression was applied to adjust for key baseline characteristics. Median age of subjects was 64 years; 63% were male and 33% were smokers. The median antibody titers among those with and without myocardial injury respectively were as follows: IgG (1:128 vs 1:128), IgA (1:32 vs <1:16, P =.2). The adjusted ORs for myocardial injury associated with consecutive IgA titers were as follows: IgA > or =1:16, adjusted OR 1.49 (P =.22); > or =1:32, OR 1.95 (P =.04); > or =1:64, OR 1.37 (P =.38);…
We investigated 56 boys and 30 girls between the ages of 1 month and 15 years with acute respirat... more We investigated 56 boys and 30 girls between the ages of 1 month and 15 years with acute respiratory infections for antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Antibodies were only occasionally found in children less than 10 years of age (4% of boys (1/23) and 5% of girls (1/19). In the age group 10-12 years, antibodies were detected in 55% of boys (4/9) but not in the 2 girls investigated. In the age group 13-15 years, antibodies were detected in 58% of boys (14/24) and in 33% of girls (3/9). Infection caused by M. pneumoniae was found in 13% of boys in the oldest age group.
Thirty-five different Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with asymptomatic bacteriur... more Thirty-five different Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria, cystitis, or pyelonephritis were investigated regarding their capacity to stimulate leukocyte chemotaxis in vitro. There were significant differences between individual strains in degree of chemoattraction, as well as among individual leukocyte donors in their reactions to the same strains. These differences were not correlated to specific E. coli antibodies. No significant differences in chemoattraction were found among strains isolated from patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria, cystitis, or pyelonephritis. It was suggested that the production of chemoattractive factors was not important for the pathogenicity of different E. coli strains in relation to urinary tract infection.
Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS), 1995
Fifty-three clinical specimens taken from the retropharyngeal mucosa of patients with longstandin... more Fifty-three clinical specimens taken from the retropharyngeal mucosa of patients with longstanding respiratory tract infections were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction using two different methods for sample preparation. All specimens were divided into two aliquots, one treated with proteinase K, and the other with the Amplicor sputum sample preparation kit. All tests were run in parallel, employing a primer pair specific for Chlamydia pneumoniae. Of the samples prepared with the Amplicor kit 20.8% were found to be positive, as compared to 7.5% of the samples prepared with proteinase K. The outcome of C. pneumoniae PCR was improved by treatment involving a more complete lysis of cells derived from the specimen.
Fourteen isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae, 12 from clinically ill patients and 2 from subjectivel... more Fourteen isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae, 12 from clinically ill patients and 2 from subjectively healthy individuals from an area within a 400-km proximity of Gävle, Sweden, and strain IOL-207, originally from the eye of an Iranian child, were tested for susceptibilities to the antibiotics doxycycline and azithromycin. MICs and minimum chlamydiacidal concentrations were found to correlate well with values reported earlier by other investigators. In addition to MIC and minimum chlamydiacidal concentration testing, testing for the viability of C. pneumoniae after exposure to antibiotic concentrations as high as 50 mg/liter was carried out by passaging antibiotic-treated, infected cell cultures four times in the absence of antibiotics. It was found that all Chlamydia strains were viable after four passages, regardless of antibiotic concentration in the cell culture.
Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS), 1999
Material from 117 consecutive patients with lung cancer was investigated with respect to serologi... more Material from 117 consecutive patients with lung cancer was investigated with respect to serological markers for chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection. Specific C. pneumoniae IgA antibodies were found significantly more often in patients with lung cancer than in control groups with coronary heart disease and in healthy controls, even after adjustment for smoking. The results suggest that chronic C. pneumoniae infection is common in patients with lung cancer.
The microimmunofluorescence technique (MIF) is recognized as the only test hitherto allowing disc... more The microimmunofluorescence technique (MIF) is recognized as the only test hitherto allowing discrimination between different Chlamydia species and is considered to be the reference method for serology. This method was developed for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies only. We investigated the effects of some test parameters on the ability of MIF to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae IgA. These parameters were the time needed for binding of serum IgA to C. pneumoniae antigen and the effect of antigen concentration on the outcome of IgA antibody testing. It was found that the most sensitive MIF tests for the detection of serum IgA antibodies were those in which an overnight incubation of sera with antigen slides containing high concentrations of chlamydial elementary bodies was employed. The number of patients with chronic infections found to have elevated IgA titers was increased by 25% using longer incubation times for the antibody-antigen reaction. Thirty-two sera from patients with coronary artery disease and confirmed chronic C. pneumoniae infection were used to compare antigen slides with low and high concentrations of elementary bodies with respect to IgA levels; 31/32 patients were found to have specific IgA antibodies to C. pneumoniae using the high antigen concentration, as opposed to only 22/32 patients using the low antigen concentration.
A gerontological population of 178 men and 249 women was investigated regarding the prevalence of... more A gerontological population of 178 men and 249 women was investigated regarding the prevalence of antibodies specific to Chlamydia pneumoniae. A longitudinal substudy was carried out on 22 men and 44 women, age range 70-90 y. Antibodies specific to C. pneumoniae were common. Men had higher prevalences and higher antibody levels than women. More than half of the individuals in the longitudinal study had significant IgG and/or IgA titre changes (> or = 4-fold) between the ages of 70 and 90 y, suggesting that C. pneumoniae infections are common in the elderly population. This is of importance for the treatment of respiratory infections in elderly people.
Fourteen isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae, 12 from clinically ill patients and 2 from subjectivel... more Fourteen isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae, 12 from clinically ill patients and 2 from subjectively healthy individuals from an area within a 400-km proximity of Gävle, Sweden, and strain IOL-207, originally from the eye of an Iranian child, were tested for susceptibilities to the antibiotics doxycycline and azithromycin. MICs and minimum chlamydiacidal concentrations were found to correlate well with values reported earlier by other investigators. In addition to MIC and minimum chlamydiacidal concentration testing, testing for the viability of C. pneumoniae after exposure to antibiotic concentrations as high as 50 mg/liter was carried out by passaging antibiotic-treated, infected cell cultures four times in the absence of antibiotics. It was found that all Chlamydia strains were viable after four passages, regardless of antibiotic concentration in the cell culture.
Cumulative evidence suggests a positive association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) infection ... more Cumulative evidence suggests a positive association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) infection and risk of future coronary events among patients with stable coronary artery disease. However, its prognostic role in unstable coronary syndromes is less well defined. Because Cpn immunoglobulin A (IgA) may be a more reliable indicator of chronic infection than immunoglobulin G (IgG), we speculated that in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (ACS), this marker might serve as a more useful prognostic tool. Accordingly, we evaluated plasma samples acquired at presentation in 178 patients with ACS for a possible association between Cpn IgA titer and biochemical evidence of myocardial injury. Cpn IgG (positive if > or =1:32), and IgA titers (positive if > or =1:16) were measured by use of the microimmunofluorescence technique in 70 patients with ACS in whom myocardial injury developed associated with their presenting events (elevated CK-MB and/or troponin I); and in 108 patients with ACS without such injury. The odds ratios (ORs) for myocardial injury associated with consecutive antibody titers were determined for each of Cpn IgG and IgA. Multiple logistic regression was applied to adjust for key baseline characteristics. Median age of subjects was 64 years; 63% were male and 33% were smokers. The median antibody titers among those with and without myocardial injury respectively were as follows: IgG (1:128 vs 1:128), IgA (1:32 vs <1:16, P =.2). The adjusted ORs for myocardial injury associated with consecutive IgA titers were as follows: IgA > or =1:16, adjusted OR 1.49 (P =.22); > or =1:32, OR 1.95 (P =.04); > or =1:64, OR 1.37 (P =.38);…
We investigated 56 boys and 30 girls between the ages of 1 month and 15 years with acute respirat... more We investigated 56 boys and 30 girls between the ages of 1 month and 15 years with acute respiratory infections for antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Antibodies were only occasionally found in children less than 10 years of age (4% of boys (1/23) and 5% of girls (1/19). In the age group 10-12 years, antibodies were detected in 55% of boys (4/9) but not in the 2 girls investigated. In the age group 13-15 years, antibodies were detected in 58% of boys (14/24) and in 33% of girls (3/9). Infection caused by M. pneumoniae was found in 13% of boys in the oldest age group.
Thirty-five different Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with asymptomatic bacteriur... more Thirty-five different Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria, cystitis, or pyelonephritis were investigated regarding their capacity to stimulate leukocyte chemotaxis in vitro. There were significant differences between individual strains in degree of chemoattraction, as well as among individual leukocyte donors in their reactions to the same strains. These differences were not correlated to specific E. coli antibodies. No significant differences in chemoattraction were found among strains isolated from patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria, cystitis, or pyelonephritis. It was suggested that the production of chemoattractive factors was not important for the pathogenicity of different E. coli strains in relation to urinary tract infection.
Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS), 1995
Fifty-three clinical specimens taken from the retropharyngeal mucosa of patients with longstandin... more Fifty-three clinical specimens taken from the retropharyngeal mucosa of patients with longstanding respiratory tract infections were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction using two different methods for sample preparation. All specimens were divided into two aliquots, one treated with proteinase K, and the other with the Amplicor sputum sample preparation kit. All tests were run in parallel, employing a primer pair specific for Chlamydia pneumoniae. Of the samples prepared with the Amplicor kit 20.8% were found to be positive, as compared to 7.5% of the samples prepared with proteinase K. The outcome of C. pneumoniae PCR was improved by treatment involving a more complete lysis of cells derived from the specimen.
Fourteen isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae, 12 from clinically ill patients and 2 from subjectivel... more Fourteen isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae, 12 from clinically ill patients and 2 from subjectively healthy individuals from an area within a 400-km proximity of Gävle, Sweden, and strain IOL-207, originally from the eye of an Iranian child, were tested for susceptibilities to the antibiotics doxycycline and azithromycin. MICs and minimum chlamydiacidal concentrations were found to correlate well with values reported earlier by other investigators. In addition to MIC and minimum chlamydiacidal concentration testing, testing for the viability of C. pneumoniae after exposure to antibiotic concentrations as high as 50 mg/liter was carried out by passaging antibiotic-treated, infected cell cultures four times in the absence of antibiotics. It was found that all Chlamydia strains were viable after four passages, regardless of antibiotic concentration in the cell culture.
Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS), 1999
Material from 117 consecutive patients with lung cancer was investigated with respect to serologi... more Material from 117 consecutive patients with lung cancer was investigated with respect to serological markers for chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection. Specific C. pneumoniae IgA antibodies were found significantly more often in patients with lung cancer than in control groups with coronary heart disease and in healthy controls, even after adjustment for smoking. The results suggest that chronic C. pneumoniae infection is common in patients with lung cancer.
The microimmunofluorescence technique (MIF) is recognized as the only test hitherto allowing disc... more The microimmunofluorescence technique (MIF) is recognized as the only test hitherto allowing discrimination between different Chlamydia species and is considered to be the reference method for serology. This method was developed for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies only. We investigated the effects of some test parameters on the ability of MIF to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae IgA. These parameters were the time needed for binding of serum IgA to C. pneumoniae antigen and the effect of antigen concentration on the outcome of IgA antibody testing. It was found that the most sensitive MIF tests for the detection of serum IgA antibodies were those in which an overnight incubation of sera with antigen slides containing high concentrations of chlamydial elementary bodies was employed. The number of patients with chronic infections found to have elevated IgA titers was increased by 25% using longer incubation times for the antibody-antigen reaction. Thirty-two sera from patients with coronary artery disease and confirmed chronic C. pneumoniae infection were used to compare antigen slides with low and high concentrations of elementary bodies with respect to IgA levels; 31/32 patients were found to have specific IgA antibodies to C. pneumoniae using the high antigen concentration, as opposed to only 22/32 patients using the low antigen concentration.
A gerontological population of 178 men and 249 women was investigated regarding the prevalence of... more A gerontological population of 178 men and 249 women was investigated regarding the prevalence of antibodies specific to Chlamydia pneumoniae. A longitudinal substudy was carried out on 22 men and 44 women, age range 70-90 y. Antibodies specific to C. pneumoniae were common. Men had higher prevalences and higher antibody levels than women. More than half of the individuals in the longitudinal study had significant IgG and/or IgA titre changes (> or = 4-fold) between the ages of 70 and 90 y, suggesting that C. pneumoniae infections are common in the elderly population. This is of importance for the treatment of respiratory infections in elderly people.
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