Study of Chlamydiae in patients with lymphogranuloma venereum and urethritis attending a veneral diseases clinic

Chlamydial infection in animals: a review

A review of the literature concerning chlamydial infection in birds and animals, particularly domestic animals is presented. Following a general discussion of the agent, the nature of chlamydial infection and diagnostic criteria, information regarding disease is summarized for each species. The possibility of zoonotic transmission is also discussed.

Chlamydial infection of the male urethra

Urethral specimens from 477 men were collected with endourethral swabs and examined for Chlamydia trachomatis by cell culture on McCoy cells pretreated with idoxuridine. Of these men, 141 had gonococcal urethritis, 262 non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), and 74 showed no evidence of urethritis. Of 118 men with heterosexually acquired gonococcal urethritis, thirty (25 per cent.), and of 23 men with homosexually acquired gonococcal urethritis, five (22 per cent.), yielded C. trachomatis from the urethra. Urethral specimens from 240 heterosexual men with NGU were examined, and 118 (49 per cent.) yielded C. trachomatis. Of these 240 men, 140 gave a past history of gonococcal or nongonococcal urethritis and 67 (48 per cent.) of these were positive for C. trachomatis; no past history was given by 100 men, of whom 51 were positive for C. trachomatis. Of the 240 heterosexual men with NGU, 81 had had symptoms for 7 days or more before examination, of whom 48 (59 per cent.) yielded isolates of C. trachomatis, and 145 had had symptoms for less than 7 days, of whom 59 (41 per cent.) yielded isolates. Of fourteen asymptomatic men, three were positive for C. trachomatis. Of 22 homosexual men with NGU, seven (32 per cent.) yielded C. trachomatis. C. trachomatis was recovered from the urethra in three (5 per cent.) of sixty heterosexual men without urethritis, and none of fourteen homosexual men without urethritis yielded C. trachomatis.

Infectious urethritis in men and women. Diagnosis and treatment

Acute and recurrent infectious urethritis in men and women is commonly seen by physicians. Since specific therapy varies widely with the type of urethritis present, the proper diagnosis must be clearly established if curative drug therapy is to be selected. It is valuable, therefore, to review the diagnosis and therapy of the various forms of infectious urethritis that are recognized today in both men and women.

Susceptibility of Chlamydia to antibacterial drugs: test in cell cultures

Concentrations of 20 mug of sulfadiazine or 30 mug of d-cycloserine/ml were found to be suitable for testing the differential susceptibility of Chlamydia trachomatis and C. psittaci to these drugs in cell cultures.

Effect of ionizing irradiation on susceptibility of McCoy cell cultures to Chlamydia trachomatis

The effect of graded doses of irradiation (cobalt-60) on the morphology of McCoy cells was analyzed, and 4,000 to 5,000 r was selected as a satisfactory dose for production of giant cells. The susceptibility of radiation-induced giant cells to chlamydial infection was compared with that of nonirradiated cells by using three strains of Chlamydia trachomatis and one of C. psittaci. Monolayers of giant cells were more susceptible than normal McCoy cells as indicated by (i) greater numbers of inclusions (four- to eightfold) per unit area of monolayer, (ii) larger inclusions (fourfold greater in area), (iii) higher infective titers (1 log or more greater) of harvested cells, and (iv) greater ease of promoting a second cycle of growth. Graded doses of irradiation were applied also to mouse fibroblast (L) cells, and a similar increase in susceptibility to chlamydial infection was noted. It is concluded that giant cells produced by irradiation possess advantages over nonirradiated cells in culture for growth of Chlamydia.