Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis deoxyribonucleic acid in women with tubal infertility.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis by in situ hybridization in fallopian tube tissues of women with distal tubal occlusion.

PATIENTS: Subjects were selected from a Seattle-based study of infertility in women with distally occluded fallopian tubes undergoing reconstructive surgery. For comparison, six specimens were obtained from women undergoing surgery for noninfertility-related conditions who had normal appearing tubes.

METHODS

Tissue specimens from 16 of these patients were selected for analysis by in situ hybridization and immunoperoxidase (IP) staining.

RESULTS

C. trachomatis was detected in 9 of 16 women by either in situ hybridization or IP. Six of the nine were seropositive with titers ranging from 1:16 to 1:64. Tissue from 6 women with normal appearing fallopian tubes were negative by in situ hybridization.

CONCLUSIONS

The demonstration of C. trachomatis deoxyribonucleic acid and/or antigens in fallopian tube tissue from infertile women with distal tubal disease suggests that C. trachomatis can persist in these tissues in an uncultivable state.