Publications

evaluation of c-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker, and infectious serology as risk factors for coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction.	we sought to test whether c-reactive protein (crp) and seropositivity to any of three infectious agents are associated with angiographic coronary artery disease (cad) and clinical myocardial infarction (mi).	1998	9669246
chlamydia pneumoniae may cause respiratory distress syndrome.		1998	9670311
characterization of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody directed at the lipopolysaccharide of chlamydia pneumoniae.	identification of protective epitopes is one of the first steps in the development of a subunit vaccine. one approach to accomplishing this is to identify structures or epitopes by using monoclonal antibodies (mab) that can attenuate infectivity in vitro and in vivo. to date attempts to use this approach with chlamydia pneumoniae have failed. this report is the first description of a mab directed to the lipopolysaccharide (lps) of chlamydia that neutralizes both in vitro and in vivo the infectiv ...	1998	9673271
sparfloxacin vs ofloxacin in the treatment of acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, comparative study. sparfloxacin multicenter abecb study group.	comparison of efficacy and safety of sparfloxacin vs ofloxacin for treatment of acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (abecb).	1998	9674458
infections: a cause of artery-clogging plaques?		1998	9679016
is there an infective aetiology to atherosclerosis?	conventional cardiovascular risk factors fail to completely explain the observed variations in the prevalence and severity of coronary heart disease (chd). common chronic infections may have an aetiological role in the development of atherosclerosis and chd, either independently or by interacting with traditional atherogenic risk factors. the evidence for chlamydia pneumoniae as a potential causative agent is strongest, and is based on findings of numerous sero-epidemiological studies, examinati ...	1998	9679204
the pattern of micro-organisms and the efficacy of new macrolide in acute lower respiratory tract infections.	lower respiratory tract infection (lrti) is one of the major health problems in developing countries such as indonesia. according to the national household health survey conducted by the ministry of health in 1992, lrtis still rank fourth as the main cause of death in indonesia. the problem of lrtis could be simply managed as long as the causative organism can be identified and the proper antibiotic known. in some occasions, it is not quite so easy to identify the causative micro-organism, espec ...	1998	9692520
an immunogenic epitope of chlamydia pneumoniae from a random phage display peptide library is reactive with both monoclonal antibody and patients sera.	random 15-mer peptides displayed on filamentous phages were screened in binding studies using a chlamydia pneumoniae-specific monoclonal antibody (rr-402) and affinity-purified, polyclonal sera from patients seropositive for c. pneumoniae infections by the microimmunofluorescence (mif) test. one 15-mer epitope, epitope cpnl5a (laslcnpkpsdapvt) was identified in both the monoclonal and polyclonal screenings, and showed higher elisa reactivity with c. pneumoniae mif-positive sera compared to patie ...	1998	9698107
antibodies to chlamydia pneumoniae in healthy children from bari, south italy.	specific igg and igm antibodies to chlamydia pneumoniae were evaluated by microimmunofluorescence test in a group of healthy subjects (age 0-18 years). antibody titers (igg) > or = 1:16 were found in 9.7% of the age group 0-1 years, in 5.3% of the group of 2-3 years and rose to 19% in children of the group 4-6 years. the seroprevalence was 11% and 17.1% in the group 7-12 years and 13-15 years, respectively. in the last group of 16-18 years the seroprevalence was 9.1%. the overall seroprevalence ...	1998	9699210
azithromycin. a review of its use in paediatric infectious diseases.	azithromycin is an azalide antimicrobial agent active in vitro against major pathogens responsible for infections of the respiratory tract, skin and soft tissues in children. pathogens that are generally susceptible to azithromycin include haemophilus influenzae (including ampicillin-resistant strains), moraxella catarrhalis, chlamydia pneumoniae, chlamydia trachomatis, mycoplasma pneumoniae, legionella spp., streptococcus pyogenes and streptococcus agalactiae. azithromycin is also generally act ...	1998	9711451
chlamydial heat shock protein 60 localizes in human atheroma and regulates macrophage tumor necrosis factor-alpha and matrix metalloproteinase expression.	recent evidence has implicated chlamydia pneumoniae in the aggravation of atherosclerosis. however, the mechanisms by which this agent affects atherogenesis remain poorly understood. chlamydiae produce large amounts of heat shock protein 60 (hsp 60) during chronic, persistent infections, and c pneumoniae localizes predominantly within plaque macrophages. several studies have furnished evidence that endogenous (human) hsp 60 may play a role in atherogenesis. we tested here the hypothesis that ath ...	1998	9711934
confirmed previous infection with chlamydia pneumoniae (twar) and its presence in early coronary atherosclerosis.	chlamydia pneumoniae has been identified in coronary atheroma, but concomitant serum antibody titers have been inconsistently positive and unavailable before the detection of early or advanced atherosclerotic lesions.	1998	9715854
infectious causes of chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer.	powerful diagnostic technology, plus the realization that organisms of otherwise unimpressive virulence can produce slowly progressive chronic disease with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and disease outcomes, has resulted in the discovery of new infectious agents and new concepts of infectious diseases. the demonstration that final outcome of infection is as much determined by the genetic background of the patient as by the genetic makeup of the infecting agent is indicating that a n ...	1998	9716980
is there something more behind atherosclerotic plaque inflammation?		1998	9716993
current knowledge of chlamydia pneumoniae and atherosclerosis.		1998	9721957
construction of an internal control for the detection of chlamydia pneumoniae by pcr.	for the detection of chlamydia pneumoniae by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) in respiratory samples, an internal control was constructed to monitor the efficiency of amplification in each reaction. the internal control was designed in a way that the same primer pair can be used to amplify the internal control and target dna. nasopharyngeal aspirates of children suffering from asthma (> 2 years of age; 24 patients) or bronchiolitis (< 2 years of age; 47 patients) were analysed for the presence of ...	1998	9727200
bartonella serology for patients with intraocular inflammatory disease.	to determine the role of bartonella henselae in intraocular inflammatory disease and identify its clinical features.	1998	9730179
mycoplasma contamination of chlamydia pneumoniae isolates.	we examined 6 c. pneumonia isolates from the american type culture collection (atcc) and 2 finnish isolates for mycoplasma contamination. three of the atcc isolates and both of the finnish isolates were mycoplasma-contaminated. the contaminants were characterized by means of growth in bea and beg media, immunoblotting, polymerase chain reaction and pulsed field gel electrophoresis. two of the 6 atcc isolates [atcc vr1355 (twar strain 2043) and atcc vr1356 (twar strain 2023)] were infected with m ...	1998	9730308
role of chlamydia pneumoniae (twar) in iga nephropathy.		1998	9730716
detection of mycoplasma pneumoniae in the airways of adults with chronic asthma.	infection with mycoplasma pneumoniae has been shown to exacerbate asthma in humans. however, the role of m. pneumoniae in the pathogenesis of chronic asthma has not been defined. eighteen asthmatics with chronic, stable asthma and 11 nonasthmatic control subjects underwent evaluation of the upper and lower airways and serologic analysis to determine the presence of m. pneumoniae, chlamydia pneumoniae, and seven respiratory viruses through culture, enzyme-linked immunoassay (eia) and polymerase c ...	1998	9731038
[chlamydia pneumoniae infection in patients with myocardial infarct and angina pectoris].	in a prospective open study we investigated chlamydia pneumoniae infections in 36 consecutively admitted patients: 26 males, mean age 53.4 yr, range 36-70 yr, 10 females mean age 57.7 yr, range 47-70 yr, suffering myocardial infarction (24 acute, 2 previous) or angina pectoris (10). antibody serum levels were measured by the immunefluorescent method and they were as follows: negative 5, low 12, medium/high 11, chronic infection 5, recent infection 3. the 3 cases considered as recent infections a ...	1998	9731447
failure to detect chlamydia pneumoniae in calcific and degenerative arteriosclerotic aortic valves excised during open heart surgery.	chlamydia pneumoniae has been associated with atherosclerosis, although no causal association has been established. employing culture and polymerase chain reaction in aortic valves with calcific and degenerative arteriosclerotic changes from 23 non-consecutive patients undergoing aortic valve replacement, c. pneumoniae was not detected in any of the valves. 19/22 patients had serological evidence of past infection with c. pneumoniae. our findings do not provide supportive evidence for the hypoth ...	1998	9740511
chlamydia pneumoniae and asthma.	this study was designed to test the association of chlamydia pneumoniae infection with asthma in a multi-racial population, after adjustments for several potential confounding variables.	1998	9741366
prevalence of chlamydia pneumoniae specific antibodies in different clinical situations and healthy subjects in izmir, turkey.	serological markers for chlamydia pneumoniae were investigated by using the microimmunofluorescence (mif) test in various age and patient groups in a specific area in turkey. igg seropositivity to c. pneumoniae was 64.3% and 18.7% in healthy adults and children, respectively. the highest positivity rate (77%) was in the 15-19 age group. among the groups investigated, serological findings revealed a possible etiological association between c. pneumoniae and the clinical condition in the groups wi ...	1998	9744685
group a beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections.	gabhs is the most common bacterial cause of tonsillopharyngitis, but this organism also produces acute otitis media; pneumonia; skin and soft-tissue infections; cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and lymphatic infections; bacteremia; and meningitis. most children and adolescents who develop a sore throat do not have gabhs as the cause; their infection is viral in etiology. other bacterial pathogens produce sore throat infrequently (e.g., chlamydia pneumoniae and mycoplasma pneumoniae), and when th ...	1998	9745311
humoral immune response to chlamydia pneumoniae in twin discordant for smoking.	the aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between smoking and chlamydia pneumoniae specific antibody levels in generally healthy subjects, and whether this possible relationship is dose-dependent.	1998	9747745
identification and localization of chlamydia pneumoniae in the alzheimer's brain.	we assessed whether the intracellular bacterium chlamydia pneumoniae was present in post-mortem brain samples from patients with and without late-onset alzheimer's disease (ad), since some indirect evidence seems to suggest that infection with the organism might be associated with the disease. nucleic acids prepared from those samples were screened by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay for dna sequences from the bacterium, and such analyses showed that brain areas with typical ad-related neur ...	1998	9749980
chlamydia pneumoniae and vascular disease.	there is an increasing body of evidence linking the human pathogen chlamydia pneumoniae with atherosclerosis.	1998	9752857
antioxidants, infections and environmental factors in health and disease in northern finland.	recent studies have identified several factors which may affect human health and life expectancy in northern finland. they have shown that antioxidants, infections, genetic or environmental factors may affect the development of and morbidity/mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus and other diseases in the northern provinces of this country. both the occurrence and mortality from coronary heart disease (chd) is low in the northernmost part of the country, i.e. mountain ...	1998	9753878
in vitro susceptibilities of chlamydia pneumoniae strains recovered from atherosclerotic coronary arteries.	chlamydia pneumoniae strains have been recovered from arteriosclerotic coronary arteries, but their antibiotic susceptibility profiles have not yet been examined. we report in vitro susceptibility data for five cardiovascular c. pneumoniae isolates. these strains did not differ significantly from respiratory strains in their patterns of susceptibility to azithromycin, erythromycin, roxithromycin, ofloxacin, doxycycline, rifampin, and penicillin g. roxithromycin was the most active macrolide, and ...	1998	9756794
[theoretical basis for the antibiotic therapy of the upper part of the respiratory system].	the paper presents the views on the etiology of infections in the respiratory system. beside the so called "old pathogens" such as streptococcus pneumoniae, haenophilus influenzae, moraxella catarrhalis, "atypic" microorganisms are becoming more and more important, i.e. mycoplasma pneumoniae, legionella pneumophila, chlamydia pneumoniae. mixed flora with aerobic and anaerobic bacteria is observed in chronic infections. viral infections facilitate bacterial infections. antibiotic used first shoul ...	1997	9757681
bacteriological activity of trovafloxacin, a new quinolone, against respiratory tract pathogens.	the use of established fluoroquinolones, such as ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin, as empirical therapy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe respiratory tract infections is limited by their poor activity against gram-positive and atypical pathogens. data from in vitro susceptibility studies and in vivo animal protection models suggest that the new fluoroquinolone, trovafloxacin, compared with ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin offers equivalent activity against gram-negative pathogens and improved activi ...	1998	9758283
trovafloxacin versus amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive bronchitis.	treatments with once-daily trovafloxacin (200 or 100 mg) and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (500/125 mg three times daily) were compared in adults with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive bronchitis. at end of treatment, 95% (113/119) of clinically evaluable patients receiving trovafloxacin 200 mg, 98% (113/115) of patients treated with trovafloxacin 100 mg and 97% (113/117) of patients receiving amoxicillin/clavulanic acid were cured or improved. at study end, 91%, 87% and 88%, respectively ...	1998	9758289
prediction of restenosis following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: an important but elusive goal.		1998	9761106
is chlamydia pneumoniae responsible for disease in children?		1998	9764903
chlamydia pneumoniae dna is not detectable within sarcoidosis tissue.	sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. recent studies have suggested the possibility of a bacterial origin with chlamydia pneumoniae being one of the many bacteria considered. the aim of this study was to use the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) in an attempt to identify c. pneumoniae within fresh/frozen sarcoidosis tissue. tissue from 20 sarcoidosis patients and 17 controls was evaluated. dna was extracted from all tissue specimens and pcr amplified with primers specific for ...	1998	9770196
prevalence of specific antibodies to chlamydia pneumoniae in korea.	to clarify the endemic status of chlamydia pneumoniae in korea, the incidence of antibodies in 564 serum samples from healthy individuals, patients with respiratory infection, and cord blood specimens was evaluated. we conclude that c. pneumoniae infection is highly endemic in korea and that this infection is associated with acute respiratory diseases.	1998	9774614
[new macrolides].	introduction: following their use for a few years, the place of new macrolides can be assessed. current knowledge and key points: "new macrolides", ie, roxithromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin and dirithromycin, are derivated from erythromycin and defined by different pharmacokinetic parameters: longer half time with better oral administration and shorter duration of treatment, better tissue concentrations with reduction of dosages and better tolerance, high cellular concentration with good a ...	1998	9775151
lack of evidence for a pathogenic role of chlamydia pneumoniae and cytomegalovirus infection in coronary atheroma formation.	atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is generally accepted to be the result of metabolic disturbances. however, recent studies have suggested an infectious agent, especially chlamydia pneumoniae or cytomegalovirus, to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. atherosclerotic plaque specimens obtained from patients with coronary disease either by balloon dilatation catheter (13 cases) or atherectomy (16 patients) were examined for the presence of c. pneumoniae and cytomegalovirus. usi ...	1998	9778543
the role of atypical pathogens: mycoplasma pneumoniae, chlamydia pneumoniae, and legionella pneumophila in respiratory infection.	infections caused by m. pneumoniae, c. pneumoniae, and legionella spp. are important causes of community-acquired pneumonia (cap). in the past decade, considerable new information has come to light concerning these organisms. despite this, debate continues concerning the syndromic approach to cap and the scientific merit of lumping these pathogens together. because the etiologic diagnosis of these pathogens is established only in a minority of cases, the true prevalence tends to be underestimate ...	1998	9779379
advances in the macrolides and quinolones.	the widespread, frequent clinical use of the macrolides and quinolones has led to resistance in several species. with the prevailing increase of resistance, new developmental compounds with improved spectra, pharmacokinetics, and reduced adverse effects are required, coupled with logical use of the current armamentarium.	1998	9779383
value of noninvasive studies in community-acquired pneumonia.	noninvasive diagnostic studies, i.e., sputum gram stain, sputum culture, blood culture and antigen detection assays will assist the clinician in the selection of initial antimicrobial therapy in some patients. these tests may be even more valuable in adjusting treatment regimens to prevent the use of broad spectrum antimicrobial agents as routine therapy.	1998	9779385
[chlamydia pneumoniae infection in children with asthma exacerbation].	little is known about the significance of c. pneumoniae in wheezing state in children. in this study, a total of 33 children with exacerbation of bronchial asthma were serologically and bacteriologically analyzed to investigate whether c. pneumoniae infection is associated with wheezing in children with bronchial asthma. 1) of the 33 patients 12 (39%) had an acute antibody rise against c. pneumoniae. c. pneumoniae was isolated from 8 patients (24%) by culture. based on these findings, 15 cases ( ...	1998	9780441
a chlamydia pneumoniae component that induces macrophage foam cell formation is chlamydial lipopolysaccharide.	chlamydia pneumoniae infection is associated with atherosclerotic heart and vessel disease, but a causal relationship between this pathogen and the disease process has not been established. recently, it was reported that c. pneumoniae induces human macrophage foam cell formation, a key event in early atheroma development, suggesting a role for the organism in atherogenesis. this study further examines c. pneumoniae-induced foam cell formation in the murine macrophage cell line raw-264.7. infecte ...	1998	9784505
local immune responses to chlamydia pneumoniae in the lungs of balb/c mice during primary infection and reinfection.	cell-mediated immune (cmi) responses play a major role in protection as well as pathogenesis of many intracellular bacterial infections. in this study, we evaluated the infection kinetics and assessed histologically the lymphoid reactions and local, in vitro-restimulated cmi responses in lungs of balb/c mice, during both primary infection and reinfection with chlamydia pneumoniae. the primary challenge resulted in a self-restricted infection with elimination of culturable bacteria by day 27 afte ...	1998	9784511
high-level expression of chlamydia psittaci major outer membrane protein in cos cells and in skeletal muscles of turkeys.	the omp1 genes encoding the major outer membrane proteins (momps) of avian chlamydia psittaci serovar a and d strains were cloned and sequenced. the nucleotide sequences of the avian c. psittaci serovar a and d momp genes were found to be 98.9 and 87.8% identical, respectively, to that of the avian c. psittaci serovar a strain 6bc, 84.6 and 99.8% identical to that of the avian c. psittaci serovar d strain nj1, 79.1 and 81.1% identical to that of the c. psittaci guinea pig inclusion conjunctiviti ...	1998	9784562
chlamydia pneumoniae in coronary and iliac arteries of japanese patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.	recent studies suggest the association of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases with chlamydia pneumoniae infection in western populations. it is of great interest whether such an association exists in asians with their distinct genetic background. symptomatic patients with coronary heart disease (29) or arteriosclerosis obliterans (10) who underwent directional endo-atherectomy were studied. atherectomy specimens of coronary and iliac arteries were examined for c. pneumoniae by culture, neste ...	1998	9788815
the prevalence of chronic chlamydia pneumoniae infection as detected by polymerase chain reaction in pharyngeal samples from patients with ischaemic heart disease.	cross-sectional serological studies have suggested an association between ischaemic heart disease and infections from chlamydia pneumoniae and helicobacter pylori. we therefore sought to find out if patients with ischaemic heart disease had an increased prevalence of c. pneumoniae in the pharynx. as the course of the c. pneumoniae infection remains unclear, both acute and follow-up samples were taken and compared with antibody levels.	1998	9792256
serological evidence of an association between chlamydial infections and malignant lymphomas.	chronic infections may predispose to malignant growth. recently, serological markers of chronic chlamydia pneumoniae infection have been associated with lung cancer. our aim was to study the possible association between chronic chlamydial infections and malignant lymphomas. the present case-control study involved 72 patients with lymphoma (31 females and 41 males) and matched controls. 53 patients had non-hodgkin's lymphoma (nhl) and 19 had hodgkin's disease. the sera, collected at the time of d ...	1998	9792302
chlamydia pneumoniae infection in patients with diffuse panbronchiolitis and copd.	to determine the possible association of chlamydia pneumoniae infection with diffuse panbronchiolitis (dpb) and with copd.	1998	9792563
[would ampicillin alone again be enough for treating community-acquired pneumonias?].	more than semantics: the complexity of the problem raised by this apparently simple question becomes apparent if one examines the meanings behind the words. still sufficient: globally, the frequency of pathogens known to cause community-acquired pneumonia has changed little over time: streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae, mycoplasma pneumoniae, chlamydia pneumoniae, legionella pneumoniae. the real question is the emergence of s. pneumoniae resistant strains. currently, the frequency ...	1998	9793046
is infection with chlamydia pneumoniae a causative agent in atherosclerosis?	there is mounting evidence to suggest that chlamydia pneumoniae might play a role in atherosclerosis. serological studies and detection of the microorganism in atheromatous lesions were the first indications of an association between c. pneumoniae and the disease. studies suggest that anti-chlamydial chemotherapy has a favorable effect on cardiovascular disease in humans. moreover, infection of animals with c. pneumoniae induces inflammatory changes in the aorta that are suggestive of atheroscle ...	1998	9793930
[chlamydia pneumoniae: association with asthma and cardiovascular disease. therapeutic interventions].		1998	9795285
detection of microorganisms in vessel wall specimens of the abdominal aorta: development of a pcr assay in the absence of a gold standard.	a procedure in which the "invitrogen easy-dna" kit was followed by a silica-based method for the isolation of dna was developed for extraction of pcr-inhibitor-free dna from up to 300 mg of human vessel wall tissue. optimally designed pcr assays were developed for the detection of at least one infected cell in this amount of tissue. details of the procedure are given for the detection of dna of chlamydia pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in human vessel walls ...	1998	9795995
safety and efficacy of azithromycin in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children.	to compare the safety and efficacy of azithromycin with amoxicillin/clavulanate or erythromycin for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia, including atypical pneumonia caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae and chlamydia pneumoniae.	1998	9802626
bacterial infections and atherosclerosis.	on a variety of fronts, chronic bacterial infection is being found to be significantly associated with the development of atherosclerosis and the clinical complications of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and stroke. although for the most part, these are still just associations, and specific causative relationships on the par with that determined for helicobacter pylori and peptic ulcer disease have not been determined. further studies may well lead to a similar conclusion about these pot ...	1998	9805426
interaction of chlamydia pneumoniae and human alveolar macrophages: infection and inflammatory response.	the obligate intracellular pathogen chlamydia pneumoniae is associated with chronic respiratory, atherosclerotic, and rheumatic disease. the alveolar macrophage (am) is a potential target cell for the pathogen and may contribute to respiratory immunopathology. we therefore investigated in vitro the interaction between chlamydiae and macrophages with cocultures of c. pneumoniae and am from 12 healthy volunteers. inflammatory responses were evaluated through lucigenin-amplified chemiluminescence; ...	1998	9806736
can acute chlamydia pneumoniae respiratory tract infection initiate chronic asthma?	chlamydia pneumoniae infection can cause acute respiratory illnesses (including sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia) that are sometimes associated with wheezing. little is known about whether acute infection in a previously unexposed, nonasthmatic individual can produce persistent wheezing leading to a diagnosis of chronic asthma.	1998	9809498
chlamydia pneumoniae, antimicrobial therapy and coronary heart disease: a critical overview.	traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension probably only explain about 50% of the prevalence and severity of coronary heart disease (chd). the recent interest in the association between chlamydia pneumoniae and the pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerotic diseases is based on several lines of evidence-seroepidemiological studies, pathological specimen examinations, laboratory-based experiments, animal models and more recently, pilot in ...	1998	9812184
association of chlamydia pneumoniae with otitis media in children.	chlamydia pneumoniae is a common cause of acute and persistent respiratory tract infections. the prevalence of c. pneumoniae was studied using the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) in throat swabs from 85 consecutive children with respiratory tract infections and 86 healthy children. in retrospect, it became evident that this study was conducted in the midst of a local c. pneumoniae epidemic. 38 (45%) of the sick children and 5 (5.7%) of the healthy children were positive for c. pneumoniae by pcr. ...	1998	9817518
igg subclass-specific antibodies in chlamydia pneumoniae infections.	igg subclass-specific antibodies to chlamydia pneumoniae and chlamydial lipopolysaccharide (lps) were analysed in paired sera obtained from 15 patients with primary c. pneumoniae pneumonia and from 16 pneumonia patients with reinfection, as well as in single sera of 40 subjects with possible chronic c. pneumoniae infection and 40 healthy controls. the microimmunofluorescence (mif) method was used to measure total igg, igm and igg subclass-specific antibodies to c. pneumoniae protein antigens and ...	1998	9817519
[cardiology in 1997].	a review of the most important findings published during 1997 in cardiovascular papers is presented: chlamydia pneumoniae was recognised as a potential risk factor for coronary artery disease (cad) and possible pathogenic agent for valvular aortic stenosis. valvular changes similar to the valvular disease reported after ergotamine and methylsergide were also detected in obese women treated with a combination of phentermine and fenfluramine. in cad, several new laboratory methods were introduced ...	1998	9818470
outbreak of chlamydia infection in rural australian town.		1998	9820325
[chlamydia pneumoniae chronic infection in the development of arteriosclerosis].	on the basis of several epidemiological investigations performed simultaneously in the eighties and then in early nineties, a presumption has been put forward that is a relationship between the incidence of arteriosclerosis, especially of the coronary arteries and the presence of antibodies against antigens of chlamydia pneumoniae in the blood serum. these investigations revealed that an infections by chlamydia pneumoniae is an independent risk factor in the development of arteriosclerosis as we ...	1998	9825666
azithromycin, chlamydia pneumoniae, and intimal thickening.		1998	9826328
poor correlation between microimmunofluorescence serology and polymerase chain reaction for detection of vascular chlamydia pneumoniae infection in coronary artery disease patients.	chlamydia pneumoniae has been associated to coronary artery disease by various methods including recovery of viable bacteria from plaques. the pathogenetical relevance of this is unclear but investigation of antichlamydial therapy in coronary arteriosclerosis is already in progress. the microimmunofluorescence test (mif), the only species-specific serological assay available, might be considered useful in identifying patients with vascular chlamydial infection. however, this has never been syste ...	1998	9832324
[the infection theory in atherosclerosis].	atherosclerosis displays all the features of a chronic inflammatory process. aggressions that ignite and fuel atherosclerotic inflammation warrant keen attention. infection is a potential clue, implying microbes with certain discrete characteristics: a wide epidemiologic distribution, a tropism for the arterial wall, and an aptitude for persistence, latency and recurrence. the infectious theory has built up from the pioneering observations of fabricant et al. (1978) on the arterial lesions provo ...	1998	9833076
chlamydia pneumoniae and possible relationship to asthma. serum immunoglobulins and histamine release in patients and controls.	chlamydia pneumoniae (c.pn.) is claimed to be of importance for the development of bronchial asthma in previously healthy individuals. this is a new and speculative theory. earlier studies have mainly focused on c.pn. and exacerbation of asthma. if this new theory were true, one would expect titres of c.pn.-specific igg to be higher or more common in patients compared with controls. it would also seem probable that pathobiological mechanisms as found in connection with other microorganisms could ...	1998	9833693
[chlamydia pneumoniae: an agent involved in the pathogenesis of asthma].		1998	9835770
[chlamydia pneumoniae and other chlamydia species in community-acquired pneumonia].		1998	9835771
[microorganisms in vascular pathology and myocardial ischemia].		1998	9835773
comparison of two serological methods and a polymerase chain reaction-enzyme immunoassay for the diagnosis of acute respiratory infections with chlamydia pneumoniae in adults.	chlamydia pneumoniae is a common respiratory tract pathogen. serological methods currently used for the diagnosis of c. pneumoniae infection lack specificity, give ambiguous results from a single serum sample and often provide only a retrospective diagnosis. a prospective study was undertaken to assess whether pcr could be a useful addition to the serological techniques routinely practised for diagnosis. this study investigated 68 adult patients with a diagnosis of acute respiratory infection. a ...	1998	9839566
chlamydia: old ideas crushed, new mysteries bared.		1998	9841415
[should cardiovascular diseases be treated with antibiotics?].		1998	9844519
etiology of childhood pneumonia: serologic results of a prospective, population-based study.	to investigate the etiology of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia, we conducted a prospective, population-based study covering the total population <15 years of age (n = 8851) in 4 municipalities in eastern finland.	1998	9849979
chlamydia pneumoniae revisited.		1998	9849991
rapid identification of nine microorganisms causing acute respiratory tract infections by single-tube multiplex reverse transcription-pcr: feasibility study.	acute respiratory tract infections (aris) are leading causes of morbidity and, in developing countries, mortality in children. a multiplex reverse transcription-pcr (rt-pcr) assay was developed to allow in one test the detection of nine different microorganisms (enterovirus, influenza a and b viruses, respiratory syncytial virus [rsv], parainfluenzaviruses type 1 and type 3, adenovirus, mycoplasma pneumoniae, and chlamydia pneumoniae) that do not usually colonize the respiratory tracts of humans ...	1999	9854054
[infection and coronary atherosclerosis: the role chlamydia pneumonia].	the role of inflammatory reactions in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is widely accepted. recently, an increasing body of evidence has linked infections to atherosclerosis. it is hypothesized that infections could interact with other risk factors of vascular disease, enhancing the endothelial damage and the production of atherosclerotic plaques. several different infectious agents have been related to the atherosclerosis genesis: mainly herpesvirus, helicobacter pylori and chlamydia pneumoni ...	1998	9859707
pathogenesis of atherosclerosis: a possible relation to infection.	atherosclerosis is the main underlying cause of coronary heart disease, which in turn is the most common cause of death in the industrialized world. an acute event in coronary heart disease is typically precipitated by thrombosis occurring at the site of atherosclerotic plaque disruption. atherosclerotic plaques consist of a fibrous cap overlying a lipid-rich core. many cell types are involved in their formation, including platelets, endothelial cells, activated monocytes, macrophages derived fr ...	1998	9859918
seroepidemiological evidence for an association between chlamydia pneumoniae and atherosclerosis.	the respiratory pathogen chlamydia pneumoniae has been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease. evidence for this includes the direct demonstration of the organism in atherosclerotic plaques and the results of seroepidemiological studies. of the several serological tests available, the microimmunofluorescence (mif) test is the most widely used and has become a 'gold standard' because of its specificity and selectivity. in spite of differences in serological criteria of infection ...	1998	9859919
animal models for chlamydia pneumoniae infection.	animal models are used extensively in the ongoing investigation of a possible causal link between chlamydia pneumoniae infection and conditions such as asthma and cardiovascular disease. respiratory infections have been studied in monkeys, while mouse and rabbit models have been used to study both respiratory and cardiovascular infections. the degree of disease induced in mice depends on the strain used, the virulence of the c. pneumoniae strain used, and the dose administered. a characteristic ...	1998	9859920
chlamydia pneumoniae in vascular tissue.	this review summarizes the evidence for the presence of chlamydia pneumoniae organisms in atherosclerotic lesions. a total of 17 publications are mentioned concerning this topic. in all but two, both from the same group, evidence is presented by means of various techniques for the existence of the organisms in atherosclerotic tissue. thus, they have been found in the aorta and in coronary, carotid, pulmonary, femoral and iliac arteries. in the first study in the uk, the aorta, femoral and iliac ...	1998	9859921
endovascular presence of chlamydia pneumoniae dna is a generalized phenomenon in atherosclerotic vascular disease.	the common respiratory pathogen chlamydia pneumoniae has been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and acute myocardial infarction. in order to verify the endovascular presence of potentially viable chlamydia by detection of genomic dna, we examined atherosclerotic arteries from various vascular regions using a c. pneumoniae specific nested polymerase chain reaction (pcr). the samples were obtained during surgical revascularization procedures or at autopsy. chlamydial dna wa ...	1998	9859922
chlamydia pneumoniae: inflammation and instability of the atherosclerotic plaque.	coronary heart disease remains the most common cause of death in industrialized countries. although atherosclerosis is generally asymptomatic in the early stages, progressive plaque development leads to arterial stenosis which is characterized by angina and may eventually lead to unstable angina, myocardial infarction and cardiac death. evidence that the coagulation cascade is activated during acute coronary events has justified the use of antithrombotic agents such as aspirin, heparin and low m ...	1998	9859923
identification of two novel genes encoding 97- to 99-kilodalton outer membrane proteins of chlamydia pneumoniae.	two genes encoding 97- to 99-kda chlamydia pneumoniae vr1310 outer membrane proteins (omp4 and omp5) with mutual similarity were cloned and sequenced. the proteins were shown to be constituents of the c. pneumoniae outer membrane complex, and the deduced amino acid sequences were similar to those of putative outer membrane proteins encoded by the chlamydia psittaci and chlamydia trachomatis gene families. by use of a monospecific polyclonal antibody against purified recombinant omp4, it was show ...	1999	9864239
etiology of respiratory tract infection in adults in a general practice setting.	a prospective study was conducted over a 3-month winter period in three general practice clinics in an urban population in southern israel to identify the etiological agents of respiratory tract infections (rti) in adults. rti was defined as an acute febrile illness with cough, coryza, sore throat or hoarseness. serum samples were taken from all patients in both the acute and convalescent phases of their illness. tests were conducted for detection of 17 microorganisms known to cause rti, includi ...	1998	9865980
incidence of chlamydia pneumoniae infection in vertically hiv-1 infected children.	the rate of seroconversion for antibody to chlamydia pneumoniae was analysed in blood samples of 26 vertically hiv-1 infected children and 14 seroreverter children (hiv-negative children born to hiv-positive mothers) during a 3-year study period. seroconversion for chlamydia pneumoniae was found in 13 of 26 hiv-1 infected children and in 1 of 14 in the seroreverter group (p=0.013). a lower mean cd4+ cell count and p24 antigen positivity at enrolment were significantly associated with seroconvers ...	1998	9865986
chlamydia pneumoniae and cardiovascular disease.	chlamydia pneumoniae is a ubiquitous pathogen that causes acute respiratory disease. the spectrum of c. pneumoniae infection has been extended to atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations. seroepidemiologic studies have associated c. pneumoniae antibody with coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, carotid artery disease, and cerebrovascular disease. the association of c. pneumoniae with atherosclerosis is corroborated by the presence of the organism in atherosclerotic lesions throu ...	1998	9866733
[evaluation of serum kl-6 levels in summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis].	a high level of serum kl-6 is a known feature of active pulmonary fibrosis. some researchers have suggested that kl-6 is produced and secreted by type ii pneumocytes. the present study evaluated serum kl-6 levels in patients with summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (summer-type hp) (n = 6, 7 episodes), mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (n = 16), chlamydia psittaci pneumonia (n = 3), chlamydia pneumoniae pneumonia (n = 9), and bacterial pneumonia (n = 12). in addition, transbronchial lung biop ...	1998	9866978
[epidemiologic study of chlamydia pneumoniae with elisa].	chlamydia pneumoniae (c. pneumoniae) is a bacterium involved in infections of the upper airway as well as in lower respiratory diseases. it has been reported that infections from this bacterium are prevalent worldwide and that the proportion of the population having the antibody is high. it is, however, difficult to identify the pathogen by routine bacterial examination because it is an obligate cytozoic bacterium. in addition, the examination has been feasible in only a limited number of labora ...	1998	9866997
association of chronic infection of chlamydia pneumoniae and coronary heart disease in the japanese.	the association of chlamydia pneumoniae with atherosclerosis of coronary and carotid arteries and the aorta has been demonstrated by seroepidemiology and by detection of the organism in atheromata. we investigated the frequency of c. pneumoniae seropositivity in patients with acute myocardial infarction (ami). c. pneumoniae-specific antibodies were measured by the microimmunofluorescence test in 160 ami patients and 160 control subjects matched for age and gender. the odds ratios (ors) were 2.2 ...	1998	9868950
etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized patients: a 3-year prospective study in japan.	to compare the etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in japan and western countries, the causative pathogens were prospectively investigated in patients requiring hospitalization.	1998	9872193
chlamydia pneumoniae infection is frequent but not associated with coronary arteriosclerosis in cardiac transplant recipients.	we sought to explore the relation between chlamydia pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus (cmv), and cardiac transplant-associated arteriosclerosis. serologic evidence of past chlamydia pneumoniae infection was investigated in 3 patient groups at the time of cardiac catheterization: cardiac transplant recipients (n=49), patients having coronary artery bypass grafting (cabg) (n=39), and a control group free of angiographic coronary artery disease (n=21). high chlamydia pneumoniae immunoglobulin g titers (> ...	1998	9874051
infection and atherosclerosis--focus on cytomegalovirus and chlamydia pneumoniae.	numerous studies have reported an association of coronary atherosclerosis and restenosis with certain bacterial and viral infections. this article reviews the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, the role of infectious agents (i.e, cytomegalovirus and chlamydia pneumoniae) in atherogenesis, and studies supporting the potential beneficial effects of antibiotics or antiviral agents in the management of atherosclerotic disease.	1998	9876813
immune responses to chlamydia pneumoniae in twins in relation to gender and smoking.	this study investigated whether gender or smoking has an impact on immune responses to chlamydia pneumoniae in generally healthy adults. a total of 129 twins (46 twin pairs and 37 single twins) from the finnish twin cohort who had previously reported the highest discordance for smoking with their co-twins participated. c. pneumoniae-specific serum iga and igg antibody levels were measured by the micro-immunofluorescence test (micro-if) at admission and 3 months later if the iga level in the firs ...	1998	9879945
exposures to legionella pneumophila and chlamydia pneumoniae in south african mine workers.	exposures of south african mine workers to legionella pneumophila and chlamydia pneumoniae were studied over a period of six months. seroprevalence data were compared with data from a group of factory workers. antibodies to l. pneumophila serogroups 1-4 were demonstrated in 36% of the mine workers and 10% of the factory workers (p < 0.0001). seroconversion occurred in 18% of the mine workers during the study period. antibodies to c. pneumoniae were present in 66% of the mine workers and 22% of t ...	1997	9891109
the role of chlamydia pneumoniae in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.		1998	9894482
animal models of infection-mediated vasculitis.	the human vasculitides are idiopathic syndromes for which both autoimmune and infectious causes have been proposed. although proof of a correlation between infection and human vasculitis would aid in patient management, it is difficult to confirm causality. to study infection-mediated vascular disease, different animal models have been developed. infections with the bacterium chlamydia pneumoniae, an rna virus, and herpesviruses all cause vascular pathology and are reviewed here. many aspects of ...	1999	9894626
complement and atherogenesis: the unknown connection.	the question why low-density lipoprotein (ldl) stranded in the subendothelium of arteries should acquire the proinflammatory properties that initiate and sustain atherogenesis has puzzled researchers for decades. the most popular concept contends that oxidative processes are crucial because oxidized ldl (ox-ldl) produced in vitro has atherogenic properties and small amounts of it are found in atherosclerotic lesions. recently, a possible role for vascular infections has also been considered beca ...	1998	9920350
[diagnosis of infections with difficulty in isolation and identification of causative organisms. 2) chlamydia pneumoniae infection].		1998	9921201