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A study of human respiratory tract chlamydial infections in Cambridgeshire 1986–88

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

T. G Wreghitt ,
C. E Barker ,
J. D Treharne ,
J. M Phipps ,
V Robinson  and
R. B Buttery
T. G Wreghitt
Affiliation:
Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
C. E Barker
Affiliation:
Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
J. D Treharne
Affiliation:
Section of Virology, Institute of Ophthalmology, Judd Street, London
J. M Phipps
Affiliation:
Section of Virology, Institute of Ophthalmology, Judd Street, London
V Robinson
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge
R. B Buttery
Affiliation:
Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Cambridge Health Authority
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Human respiratory tract chlamydial infections have been studied in Cambridge-shire for many years, but until recently we have been unable to distinguish between infection with Chlamydia psittaci Or Chlamydia pneumoniae (TWAR). In this study, we have employed the micro-immunofluorescence (micro-IF) test for this purpose and to look for the relative incidence of C. psittaci and C. pneumoniae infections in Cambridgeshire. Among 50 patients with community-acquired respiratory tract symptoms whose serum samples had Chlamydia complement fixation test titres ≥ 64, 25 had evidence of recent C. psittaci or C. pneumoniae infection. Nineteen (76%) of the 25 patients had evidence of recent C. psittaci infection and of these 16 (84%) had recently had contact with birds. Six patients (24%) had evidence of recent C. pneumoniae infection, and of these, only two (33% had recently had contact with birds). While C. psittaci was grown from several of the birds associated with human C. psittaci infection, it was not cultured from any of the birds in contact with the two human C. pnemoniae cases.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 104 , Issue 3 , June 1990 , pp. 479 - 488
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

References

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