INTRODUCTION The most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in the United States today is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and the number of reported cases continues to rise. During 1998 the nation has experienced the first increase in the number of reported cases of gonorrhea following a several year decline in reported cases. The significance of serious complications related to chlamydia and ...

Chlamydia trachomatis is considered the most common bacteria causing genital infections in the industrialised world. In women, the infection may lead to serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) with consequences including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. It has been shown that screening of women at risk for STD can reduce half of the cases of PID.1...

The ligase chain reaction (LCR) is an in vitro nucleic acid amplification technique that exponentially amplifies targeted DNA sequences. In a multicenter study, we evaluated the use of a 4-h LCR-based assay for the diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection of the cervix and male urethra. The LCR results were compared with those of culture for N. gonorrhoeae by using selective media. This ass...

The monoclonal antibody Myc 1-6E10 was used in an immunocytochemical technique to examine the expression of the c-myc oncogene in normal endocervices and those with glandular intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive malignancy. Eleven of 14 normal endocervical biopsy specimens did not express the gene, while three showed nuclear, or light basal cytoplasmic localisation of the gene product, or bot...

The value of dipping cervical cone biopsy specimens in iodine (the Schiller test) as a method of deciding which areas should be selected for histological examination was assessed. Schiller positive and negative areas were recorded in macroscopic specimen images from fifty specimens of cervix. The results were compared with the histological presence or absence of cervical intraepithelial neoplas...

Genital Ureaplasma urealyticum infection is considered to be a sexually transmitted infection. The bacterium has been found to be involved in PID, chorioamnionitis, urethritis, respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia in newborn, abortion and infertility. U. urealyticum infections not only jeopardize fertility but also pose a risk for infertility treatment and resulting pregnancies. The purp...

Streptococci of Lancefield group D were isolated from 52.2% of pharyngeal, 55.5% of urethral, 56.6% of endocervical, and 75.4% of ano-rectal specimens. Seventeen phages isolated from sewage and urogenital specimens were selected for phage typing. Four of these lysed only the strains of Streptococcus faecalis and its variety liquefaciens. Another six phages lysed only the strains of Streptococcu...

A direct test on clinical specimens, using fluorescein-labeled monoclonal antibodies, for Chlamydia trachomatis (MicroTrak [Syva Co.]) was evaluated for the rapid diagnosis of chlamydial infections. Asymptomatic females attending pregnancy or planned parenthood clinics were tested by the direct test and by a cell culture method. Of 401 paired, endocervical specimens, 398 (99.3%) gave identical ...