ANALYSIS OF CHRONIC ENDOMETRITIS FOR CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

Chronic endometritis is characterized histologically by plasma cells i nfiltrating endometrial stroma. Although it has been speculated that m any instances of chronic endometritis are infectious, the origin of mo st cases is not apparent by routine histopathologic evaluation. Chlamy dia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is known to caus e chronic endometritis in the setting of pelvic inflammatory disease. The authors analyzed 43 specimens of histopathologically diagnosed chr onic endometritis from 38 patients for C trachomatis by PCR using prim ers for the single-copy major outer membrane protein (MOMP) gene. C tr achomatis was detected in only one such case in which dense plasma cel l infiltrates were present and concurrent C trachomatis infection of t he cenix was documented. Using serially diluted DNA from formalin-fixe d, paraffin-embedded McCoy cells, the sensitivity of this method was s hown to be equivalent to a single infected cell in a paraffin section, In conjunction with the results of other studies, these data indicate a limited role, if any, of C trachomatis in the origin of mild or mod erate chronic endometritis. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Compan y