[Role of Chlamydia trachomatis in tubal pathology (acute salpingitis and tubal sterility). Microbiological study of 175 samples of peritoneal fluid]

Abstract

The study was carried out on 175 patients who underwent laparoscopy together with search for chlamydia in the peritoneal fluid when they were having investigations for sterility or for pelvic pain. These patients are classified into three groups according to the clinical and laparoscopic features: 50 cases of acute salpingitis. 104 cases of tubal sterility and 21 control cases who were normal on laparoscopy. The mean age was 25.7 years for acute salpingitis and 30.4 years for tubal sterility. The purpose of this study was to work out the role played by chlamydia trachomatis in tubal phatology and two techniques were used at the same time: The identification of chlamydia trachomatis in 175 samples of peritoneal fluid taken during a laparoscopy; Research for anti-chlamydia antibodies in serum using an indirect micro-immunofluorescent technique. Cell cultures were performed after the peritoneal fluid had been centrifuged. It had been in transport medium 2 SP and frozen. Our technical methods for isolating chlamydia (microplaque culture on Hela lines, incubation in the presence of cycloheximide and research for chlamydial inclusion bodies using direct immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies and 2 successive passages of the cells) have allowed us to confirm that chlamydia was present in 44% of cases of acute salpingitis and in 37% of cases of tubal sterility. The search for anti-chlamydial antibodies in the serum in indirect immunofluorescence with a single antigen (of L2 serotype) gave positive results which were comparable to those in other studies, i.e. 50% of positive serological results in acute salpingitis and 63% in tubal sterility.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)