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A Naessens

Publications and source records attributed to A Naessens.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Identification and characterization of serotype 4-specific antigens of Ureaplasma urealyticum by use of monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies against Ureaplasma urealyticum serotype 4 were produced by immunizing BALB/c mice with whole-cell antigens of the U. urealyticum serotype 4 reference strain. Ten monoclonal antibodies differentiated into two groups were found: one group included five monoclonal antibodies recognizing a band in immunoblotting that had a molecular mass of 81 kDa, and a second group included another five monoclonal antibodies recognizing three bands in immunoblotting that had molecular masses of 81, 75, and 71 kDa. Fifteen clinical U. urealyticum isolates were selected for serotyping with serotype 4-specific monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal antisera 1 to 14. The results obtained with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies suggest the existence of heterogeneity of the serotype antigens among clinical isolates of U. urealyticum serotype 4.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1992

Kingella kingae, a rare cause of bacterial meningitis.

A male adolescent with a history of pharyngitis developed meningitis due to Kingella kingae. This is a Gram-negative coccobacillus belonging to the family of Neisseriaceae. It is a rarely reported human pathogen, from which only 2 cases of meningitis have been described up to the present day. Our patient developed ophthalmoplegia, suggestive of basal meningitis. He was treated with penicillin G and recovered completely.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis was attempted in 50 pregnant women at risk for giving birth to an affected child. Fifteen of these patients seroconverted during pregnancy and 35 had a high initial antibody level in their first serum sample. Prenatal diagnosis consisted of a combination of ultrasound screening, amniocentesis, and funipuncture at about 20 weeks' gestation. Diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis was based on a positive toxoplasma culture of amniotic fluid or fetal blood and on the presence of specific immunoglobulin M antibodies in fetal blood. In addition, alterations in fetal hematology, cellular immunology, and fetal liver tests were indicative of infection. Fetal infection was detected in six fetuses; two died in utero as a consequence of the infection and four were born after 37 weeks' gestation. Despite antibiotic treatment with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, one child has internal hydrocephalus and chorioretinitis and another has unilateral chorioretinitis. In the two other children, the disease is still subclinical. Of the 44 children born after a negative prenatal diagnosis, 35 have reached the age of 1 year; toxoplasma antibodies have disappeared in all of them. Investigation of the remaining nine children showed a decrease in toxoplasma antibodies, suggesting that none of them are affected. Prenatal diagnosis was never associated with fetal loss, and premature delivery occurred in only two cases. We conclude that prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis is safe and reliable.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1989

Postpartum bacteremia and placental colonization with genital mycoplasmas and pregnancy outcome.

The influence of placental colonization and postpartum bacteremia with genital mycoplasmas on the course of delivery and the immediate postpartum period was evaluated in 511 women who gave birth to live infants of at least 26 weeks' gestation. Genital mycoplasmas were isolated from the placenta in 153 patients (29.9%) and from blood in four patients (0.8%). These four isolates were all Ureaplasma urealyticum. Patients with genital mycoplasmas isolated from the placenta were delivered of infants with birth weights and gestational ages similar to those of infants of patients who did not have genital mycoplasmas in the placenta (3260 gm and 39.2 weeks versus 3272 gm and 39.3 weeks). No adverse effects of maternal postpartum bacteremia with genital mycoplasmas were observed, either in the mother or in the baby. We conclude that, whereas genital mycoplasmas frequently can be isolated from the placenta, there is no evident relationship between the presence of genital mycoplasmas and pregnancy outcome. In a few instances U. urealyticum has been isolated from the blood of afebrile postpartum women. In these women the presence of this bacteria is probably related to the birth process. This bacteremia does not precede an infectious complication.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Serotypes of Ureaplasma urealyticum isolated from normal pregnant women and patients with pregnancy complications.

To compare the distribution of Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes 1 to 10 in different patient populations, the serotypes of 240 U. urealyticum strains from 207 patients were determined by the indirect immunofluorescence test by using U. urealyticum antisera 1 to 10. Strains were obtained from the following four patient groups: group 1, 24 couples in which the women had a history of recurrent spontaneous abortion; group 2, 25 patients who had their first spontaneous abortion; group 3, 14 pregnant patients with pregnancy complications (premature delivery, intrauterine death); and group 4, 138 patients with uneventful pregnancies. The serotypes most often found in these 207 patients were as follows: serotype 3, 52.2%; serotype 6, 30.3%; serotype 10, 11.4%; serotype 1, 9.5%; serotype 4, 6.5%; serotype 8, 6.5%. Serotypes 2, 5, 7, and 9 were found in less than 1% of the patients. More than one serotype was found in 16.9% of the patients. The overall distribution of the 10 serotypes in the different groups was similar, except for that of serotype 4. Serotype 4 was isolated from 20.8% of the patients in group 1 and from 5.1% of the patients in group 4 (P less than 0.01). Results of this study indicate that U. urealyticum serotype 4 can be isolated more frequently from patients with a history of recurrent miscarriages than from normal pregnant women.

Abortion, Habitual↗
PubMed1988

Impact of primary prevention on the incidence of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.

Until now, it was assumed that primary prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis was possible by means of specific hygienic measures. A prospective survey of pregnant women was made at a hospital in Brussels over the period 1979-1986 to assess the impact of such a prevention program. In the first study period (1979-1982), when no prophylactic measures were taught, 2986 consecutive women demonstrated a seroconversion rate of 1.43% among the nonimmunized subjects; 1.07% of the seropositive patients had high antibody levels in their first serum sample. In the second study period (1983-1986), all 3563 patients were instructed to adopt prophylactic measures. The seroconversion rate in seronegative patients and the percentage of patients with high initial antibody level were 0.95 and 1.26%, respectively. Although the percentage of seroconversion was reduced by 34% in the second study period, this difference did not attain significance. These results indicate that the impact of a primary prevention program aimed at reducing congenital toxoplasmosis is limited.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Epidemiology and pathogenesis of ureaplasma urealyticum in spontaneous abortion and early preterm labor.

The role of U. urealyticum in spontaneous and recurrent spontaneous abortion was studied in 633 women. Cervical colonization with U. urealyticum was found in 42.6% of 310 normal pregnant women, in 41.6% of 84 patients who underwent induced abortion, in 41.5% of 41 normal fertile patients, in 53.3% of 122 patients with spontaneous abortion and in 64.5% of 76 patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion. The cervical isolation rate was significantly higher in patients with spontaneous abortion (p less than 0.05) and recurrent spontaneous abortion (p less than 0.005) than in normal pregnant women. Endometrial colonization was more frequent in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (27.6%) than in normal fertile women (9.7%) (p less than 0.05). Moreover, in 6 patients with intact membranes and uncontrollable preterm labor resulting in fetal loss (all between the 20th and 28th week of gestation) U. urealyticum was isolated in 5 of them from the cervix, in 4 patients from the placenta and in 2 out of 4 from the amniotic fluid. Histological examination of the placenta showed signs of chorioamnionitis in 5 patients. From this study we conclude that although U. urealyticum is a common inhabitant of the lower genital tract, it may play a role in the etiology of spontaneous abortion and uncontrollable preterm labor.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1986

Recovery of microorganisms in semen and relationship to semen evaluation.

Semen samples from 120 consecutive unselected men attending our fertility clinic were studied to determine the bacterial isolation rate of semen and its influence on semen quality. Each sample was cultured aerobically, anaerobically, and for Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis. The following were analyzed for each semen specimen: motility, morphologic features, and number of sperm cells and viscosity of the ejaculate. Four of the 120 samples had negative results; 101 cultures yielded one or more aerobic organisms (the majority with less than 20,000 microorganisms/ml); 26 yielded anaerobic organisms; and 40 yielded U. urealyticum. No single aerobic or anaerobic organism could be related to abnormal semen samples. Only the presence of U. urealyticum correlated significantly with abnormal semen samples (P less than 0.005). The most affected parameters were the number of spermatozoa (P less than 0.005) and motility (P less than 0.05). We conclude that routine aerobic and anaerobic bacterial cultures of semen are not useful in the clinical evaluation of male infertility. The usefulness of routine screenings for U. urealyticum must be investigated further.

Bacteria, Aerobic↗
PubMed1986

Efficacy and safety of pefloxacin in the treatment of severe infections in patients hospitalized in intensive care units.

Sixteen patients, 14 with an infection of the lower respiratory tract and two with cholangitis, were treated with pefloxacin 400 mg bid or tid. The original pathogens were eradicated in all but one patient. Pefloxacin therapy resulted in clinical cure in 11 patients, three patients were improved clinically and in two patients a clinical failure was observed. No adverse effects were noticed during or after pefloxacin administration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Aztreonam treatment of gram-negative septicemia.

Seventy-five aztreonam treatment courses in 74 patients with gram-negative septicemia resulted in 56 clinical cures (75%), 12 partial clinical cures (16%), and 7 clinical failures (9%). Eradication of the original pathogen from the blood was obtained in all patients but two, who had relapses 1 and 4 days, respectively, after treatment. In nine patients (12%) a superinfection was reported. Significant adverse reactions were limited to one transient urticarial rash. Aztreonam may prove to be an effective alternative for the treatment of gram-negative septicemia, but superinfections should be carefully monitored.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Chronic Ureaplasma urealyticum amnionitis associated with abruptio placentae.

Ureaplasma urealyticum is a common inhabitant of the lower genital tract of women. It is unclear whether or not the microorganism plays a role in provoking spontaneous abortion. Reported is a U urealyticum infection of placenta and amniotic fluid in an immunologically competent host resulting in abruptio placentae and spontaneous abortion during the second trimester of pregnancy. U urealyticum was isolated from peripheral maternal blood twice. Immunologic alterations, namely a transiently reversed OKT4/OKT8 rate and a decrease in immunoglobulin G levels, were detected in the patient. U urealyticum must be considered as a pathogen able to interfere with normal fetal development.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗