No association of Chlamydia with abortion

Case reports and serological work have raised the possibility that chlamydi as can infect the placenta and thus harm the fetus. We investigated the inv olvement of Chlamydia in a series of 195 unselected cases of spontaneous ab ortion or miscarriage. Formalin-fixed placental tissues from all cases were examined immunohistochemically, for the presence of chlamydial lipopolysac charide, as well as histopathologically. A serum sample was collected from 187 of the patients for detection of anti-chlamydial antibodies by microimm unofluorescence. All placental sections were negative for chlamydial antigen. Serological fi ndings indicated that 8 patients had been in contact with C. trachomatis, 1 5 patients with C. pneumoniae, and none with C. psittaci. A few cases of pe rivillitis or intervillitis were detected, but none exhibited the intracyto plasmic inclusions typical of C. psittaci. Although these results are negative a search for Chlamydia in abortion mate rials should be encouraged.