CHARACTERIZATION OF CILIARY ACTIVITY IN DISTAL FALLOPIAN-TUBE BIOPSIES OF WOMEN WITH OBSTRUCTIVE TUBAL INFERTILITY

Biopsy specimens were obtained from the distal end of the Fallopian tu bes of 62 women with tubal infertility and examined by light and elect ron microscopy, Ciliary beat frequency (CBF) measurements were obtaine d using laser light spectroscopy. Neither demographic nor behavioural characteristics nor serological evidence of past chlamydial infection were associated with CBF measurements, In contrast, CBF were significa ntly lower (P < 0.05) in tissues with oedema compared to tissues witho ut oedema (6.7 versus 12.9) and in tissues with erythema compared to t issues without erythema (9.2 versus 13.7), Furthermore, CBF measuremen ts did vary by chlamydial serotype pattern, with lower values observed among the tissues of women with antibodies to serotype C or E (withou t D) as compared to the tissues of women with other serotypes (P < 0.0 4). However, these data must be interpreted with caution as the number s of subjects with chlamydial antibodies to serotype C (n = 3) or E wi thout D (n = 5) were few in number and serotyping of IgG antibodies in blood is not as accurate as it is in bacterial isolates. Confirmation of the suggested association between chlamydial serotype and risk of adverse sequelae could indicate potential new avenues for vaccine rese arch.