Hc. Gerard et al., VIABILITY OF CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS IN FALLOPIAN-TUBES OF PATIENTS WITH ECTOPIC PREGNANCY, Fertility and sterility, 70(5), 1998, pp. 945-948
Objective: To use standard molecular methods to define the prevalence
and metabolic characteristics of Chlamydia trachomatis during infectio
n of fallopian tubes in women with ectopic pregnancies. Design: Polyme
rase chain reaction (PCR)- and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR)-base
d assessment of presence of chlamydial DNA and various RNA species in
fallopian tube biopsy samples. Setting: Hospital and molecular genetic
s laboratory. Patients: Ten women of varying ages, each presenting wit
h ectopic pregnancy. Main Outcome Measure(s): Positive signal in speci
fic chlamydia-directed PCR and RT-PCR assays. Result(s): Nucleic acid
preparations from 7 of the 10 fallopian tube patient samples were PCR-
positive for C. trachomatis DNA. Each of the 7 PCR-positive samples al
so showed the presence of several transcripts from the bacterium, incl
uding primary transcripts from the ribosomal RNA operons. Conclusion(s
): A higher proportion of-ectopic pregnancies than was believed previo
usly may be attributable to infection of the fallopian tubes by C. tra
chomatis. The presence of various chlamydial RNA molecules suggests th
at viable, metabolically active bacteria were present in fallopian tub
es of the patients studied. (Fertil Steril(R) 1998;70:945-8. (C) 1998
by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.).