Background—This study was designed to test the association of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection with asthma in a multiracial population, after adjustments for several potential confounding variables. Methods—Antibodies to C pneumoniae were measured by microimmunofluorescence in 123 patients with acute asthma, 1518 control subjects admitted to the same hospital with various non-cardiovascular, non-...

Aims—To develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the simultaneous detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Chlamydia psittaci in respiratory samples. Methods—Oligonucleotide primers for the amplification of the DNA of these three organisms were optimised for use in combination in the same reaction. PCR products were detected by hybridisation with pooled inter...

Chlamydia pneumoniae TWAR is a newly recognized Chlamydia species that is a pathogen of respiratory tract infection. To clarify the endemic status of C. pneumoniae in Japan, we evaluated the incidence of C. pneumoniae antibody in 1,330 serum samples (660 from outpatients, 600 from normal individuals, and 70 from cord blood). The antibody titer was determined by a microimmunofluorescence test by...

Genus Chlamydiae is composed of smuJI bacteria, presenting unique c haracteristics such as intracellular habitat and a specitic replication cycle different from conventional bacterin. There are different species of Chlamydiae that can infect animals and men. The best known are Chlamydia traclwmaris and Chlamydia psiiiCici. TW AR is a recently described bacterium of lhe genus Ch lamydia. which w...

AIM Increased levels of acute phase proteins, e.g., fibrinogen, are related to a poor outcome in unstable coronary artery disease, but the cause of inflammation is unknown. We therefore investigated the prevalence of persistent Chlamydia pneumoniae infection, and its relationship to inflammation in this condition. METHODS AND RESULTS In 256 patients participating in the FRISC trial, evaluatin...

Chlamydophila pneumoniae is an important respiratory pathogen. In this study we characterized C. pneumoniae strain TW183-mediated activation of human small airway epithelial cells (SAEC) and the bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B and demonstrated time-dependent secretion of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) upon stimulation. TW183 activated p38 mitogen-activated prot...

AIMS To develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the simultaneous detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Chlamydia psittaci in respiratory samples. METHODS Oligonucleotide primers for the amplification of the DNA of these three organisms were optimised for use in combination in the same reaction. PCR products were detected by hybridisation with pooled int...

Recent appreciation of atherosclerosis as a chronic, inflammatory disease has rekindled efforts to examine the role that infectious agents may play in atherogenesis. In particular, much interest has focused on infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae. The possibility that a prokaryote contributes to atherogenesis has high clinical interest, as C pneumoniae infection may be a treatable risk factor. T...

The survival of Chlamydia pneumoniae in aerosols was investigated by using a chamber with a capacity of 114.5 liters. We injected 5 x 10(7) inclusion-forming units (IFU) of C. pneumoniae in aerosols with a droplet size of 3 to 5 microns. Samples were taken after 30 s and every 1 min thereafter. The survival of C. pneumoniae was measured at four temperatures (8.5, 15, 25, and 35 degrees C) and a...

Chlamydia pneumoniae infection of lymphocytes in blood has been well documented, and it is apparent that control of this pathogen in these cells may be critical in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases associated with infection by this bacterium. The activity of antibiotics against C. pneumoniae in lymphocytes was assessed in this study by utilizing an in vitro infection model with l...