PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W M O'Leary

Publications and source records attributed to W M O'Leary.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1982

Microbial presence in the uterine cavity as affected by varieties of intrauterine contraceptive devices.

A group of 33 baboons was used to study the effect of various intrauterine device (IUD) assemblies on the entrance of vaginal/cervical microflora into the uterine cavity for a total experimental period of 16 months. These animals were specially prepared surgically so that intrauterine samples could be taken aseptically and percutaneously rather than transvaginally. While the insertion and presence of any of the IUD assemblies used in this study could promote intrauterine bacteria, the principal determining factor was not the device itself, but rather retrieval tail. Multifilament tails were much more effective than monofilaments. Of particular interest is the fact that many potential pathogens can be present in the uterus for long periods in a benign, almost "normal flora" fashion without producing disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Evidence for microbial transfer by spermatozoa.

Ovulatory-phase cervical mucus columns demonstrate that microorganisms migrate in the cervical mucus with moving spermatozoa. Cultures obtained from the distal end of the mucus column after spermatozoal migration was complete yielded the same aerobic and anaerobic microbial isolates that were originally recovered from the seminal fluid. Exogenous aerobic bacteria added to the seminal fluid. Exogenous aerobic bacteria added to the seminal fluid also appeared at the top of the mucus column. After removal of the spermatozoa, no bacteria were observed migrating through the mucus. It is concluded that spermatozoa may provide a vehicle for bacteria present in the seminal fluid prior to ejaculation and for those already present in the cervix or vagina. The significance of this finding is discussed, and one mechanism for the development of salpingo-oophoritis in the female is proposed.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1980

Examination of human semen infected with Ureaplasma urealyticum by fluorescence microscopy.

Semen specimens from men complaining of involuntary infertility were cultured for Ureaplasma urealyticum and large-colony mycoplasmas. Samples positive for ureaplasmas (but negative for large-colony mycoplasmas) were washed and stained with a DNA-binding fluorochrome (Hoechst No. 33258) and examined by fluorescence microscopy. DNA-containing particles of a size consistent with ureaplasmas were found adherent to the heads and tails of spermatozoa as well as to exfoliated urethral epithelial cells when present. The number of spermatozoa with adherent particles varied widely in different clinical samples, ranging from less than 1% to 20%. In a preliminary study of the possible use of this technique as an aid in diagnosing genital ureaplasma infection, we were able to correctly identify 13 of 15 positive samples prior to culture.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Ureaplasma urealyticum and human infertility: the effect of antibiotic therapy on semen quality.

Semen characteristics were evaluated in 64 men visiting our infertility clinic before and after the eradication of genital infection with Ureaplasma urealyticum. Semen quality was also analyzed in 9 men who were unsuccessfully treated for genital Ureaplasma infection, 11 men who had negative cultures and received no treatment, and 11 men who had negative cultures but received empirical antibiotic therapy. A significant improvement in spermatozoal motility (both the speed of forward progession and the percentage of motile cells) was found in the group that was successfully treated for Ureaplasma infection. Improvements were not demonstrated in any of the other patient groups. A correlation was found between improved motility and a decrease in certain abnormal features of seminal cytology that appear to be associated with Ureaplasma genital infection.

Cell Count↗
PubMed1979

The normal microbial flora of the baboon vagina.

The microbial flora of the upper vagina and cervix was examined in 38 adult baboons at various stages of the menstrual cycle. The mean number of different species isolated from each baboon was 9.5, with species of Bacteroides, Corynebacterium and group D streptococci predominating. Lactobacilli and mycoplasmas were found in 47.4 and 44.7% of the animals, respectively. No ureaplasms were isolated. Cyclical variations in the microbial flora were minimal.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Light microscopy as an aid in predicting ureaplasma infection in human semen.

The potential role of Ureaplasma urealyticum in human infertility make it desirable to screen barren couples for this infection. Semen specimens from 96 consecutive patients were evaluated in our clinic. Microbiologic results were correlated with the percentage of coiled and fuzzy tails in seminal cytology. These features were then used in a double-blind study to predict Ureaplasma infection in another group of 100 randomly selected patients. It was possible to predict the presence or absence of Ureaplasma prior to laboratory culture in 70% of specimens. False-positive diagnoses were made in 19%. The diagnosis was false-negative in 11%.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1977

Lipids of antibiotic-resistant and -susceptible members of the Enterobacteriaceae.

Lipids of antibiotic-resistant and related -susceptible strains of the Enterobacteriaceae were extracted with chloroform-methanol and characterized by thin-layer chromatography, densitometry, and fatty acid analysis using gas chromatography. Quantitative differences which correlated with antibiotic resistance existed among the phospholipids and fatty acids. A relatively higher concentration of a ninhydrin-positive phospholipid concentration with a lower amount of phosphatidylethanolamine was observed in antibiotic-resistant strains of serratia marcescens. Bacterial strains which harbored R-factor 222 had a higher ratio of phosphatidylglycerol to diphosphatidylglycerol than their respective parent strains while those strains which were resistant to the polymyxins had a lower ratio of these phospholipids. Differences in the relative amounts of certain unsaturated and cyclopropane fatty acids were observed between susceptible and resistant strains. Such differences, however, were dependent upon a particular genus and species.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1977

Genital Ureaplasmas in nonhuman primates.

Ureaplasmas were isolated from the genital tracts of four of 22 (18.4%) male chimpanzees and eight of 23 (34.8%) female chimpanzees. Twenty-nine female rhesus monkeys, 38 female baboons, one gibbon, and black ape and one Java monkey were shown to be free of genital Ureaplasmas. The rate of reproductive failure among the chimpanzees was high and it is suggested that Ureaplasma may be responsible in part. The chimpanzee may serve as a useful model for human Ureaplasma genital infections.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed1975

The Dalkon Shield controversy. Structural and bacteriological studies of IUD tails.

The recent report of 209 cases of septic spontaneous abortion and 11 maternal deaths in the United States in women using the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device (IUD) raised the question about a possible causal relationship between the IUD and pelvic sepsis. It is essential to determine whether or not this sipsis is unique to the Dalkon Shield or generic to all types of IUDs. Our studies permit the conclusion that the tail of the Dalkon Shield is structurally and functionally different from the tails of the four other IUDs tested. The unique characteristics of the Dalkon tail theoretically could provide a mechanism whereby pathogenic bacteria from the vagina enter the uterine cavity and cause sepsis.

Abortion, Septic↗
PubMed1975

T-mycoplasmas and human infertility: correlation of infection with alterations in seminal parameters.

The presence of T-mycoplasmas in semen specimens from 625 men with infertility of unknown etiology was correlated with seminal cytologic findings. A change in the distribution toward higher ejaculate volumes and lower counts was demonstrated in the 246 patients with positive T-mycoplasma cultures, compared with the 379 patients with negative cultures. There was a significant increase in the number of tapering forms and spermatids in the T-mycoplasma-positive group. The increases in aberrant forms occurred at the expense of the oval and microcephalic forms. This change in the cytologic picture is consistent with the "stress" pattern seen in viral infections and allergic reactions, with the exception of the specific decrease in microcephalic forms. Relatively fewer patients with T-mycoplasmas in their semen had a high-level spermatozoal motility, compared with those lacking T-mycoplasmas. More than half again as many patients with T-mycoplasma infections had the poorest levels of spermatozoal motility. Infertile patients with T-mycoplasma infections had an over-all decrease in semen quality compared with those lacking demonstrable T-mycoplasmas.

Humans↗
PubMed1975

Effect of surfactants on antibiotic resistance.

The effectiveness of surfactants as potentiators of antibiotic activity on several resistant strains of bacteria, selected from clinical sources and laboratory collections, was studied using a tube dilution assay. Bacterial strains included members of the Enterobacteriaceae and staphylococci. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), Tween 80 (Tw80), a mixture of n-alkyldimethyl betaines (L14), and alpha-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy) propionic acid (TCP) were tested in combination with pencillin G (PenG), methicillin (Met), streptomycin (Sm), polymyxin B (PmB), and chlortetracycline (CTC). Growth response to the drug combinations was compared with the response to each drug alone. CTAB and L14 but not Tw80 or TCP were found to potentiate the activity of CTC on strains of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Studies on the inhibition of protein synthesis by CTC in cells of a strain of E. coli suggested that the surfactants increased the uptake of antibiotic into the cells. CTAB and L14 almost completely sensitized strains of P. mirabilis, Serratia marcescens, K. pneumoniae, and E. coli to PmB. With the exception of K. pneumoniae, TCP was also effective in potentiating the activity of PmB on the above strains whereas Tw80 showed potentiation only with a strain of E. coli. CTAB and L14 but not TCP or Tw80 potentiated the activity of PenG but not Met on strains of staphylococci. Studies of penicillinase in the cells suggested that the surfactants inhibited the formation of this enzyme possibly at the level of induction. None of the surfactants were found to potentiate the activity of Sm.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1975

Evidence by scanning electron microscopy for an association between spermatozoa and T-mycoplasmas in men of infertile marriage.

The morphology of T-mycoplasmas in culture and in semen from men of infertile marriage was examined by scanning electron microscopy. In cultures obtained from semen of infected individuals, T-mycoplasmas were recognized as spherical particles, 160 to 200 nm in diameter, frequently interconnected by short, straight fibrils. Numerous T-mycoplasmas and associated fibrils with similar morphologic characteristics were also observed adhering to spermatozoa obtained from ejaculates of the infected donors. Similar granulofibrillar aggregates were never observed on control specimens. These observations indicate a physical association between the microorganisms and spermatozoa in semen of infected men. This association may contribute to the decreased motility of spermatozoa in semen from which T-mycoplasmas can be cultured. The binding of T-mycoplasmas to human spermatozoa may provide an effective mechanism for transfer of the microorganisms past the normal microbial barrier of the cervix.

Humans↗
PubMed1973

Fatty acid composition of paracolons: Arizona, Citrobacter, and Providencia.

The fatty acid compositions of stationary-phase cultures of Arizona arizonae, Citrobacter freundii, Providencia alcalifaciens, Providencia stuartii, and Providencia sp. were studied. The major fatty acids of A. arizonae, C. freundii, and Providencia were 16:0, 16:1, 17:cyclopropane, and 19:cyclopropane. The fatty acid compositions of the two strains of A. arizonae examined were similar to each other, but the three strains of C. freundii differed from one another in their fatty acid compositions. In both A. arizonae and C. freundii, the relative quantities of saturated, unsaturated, and cyclopropane fatty acids were similar to those which have been found in stationary-phase cultures of other members of the Enterobacteriaceae. The three strains of Providencia also differed from one another in their fatty acid compositions. In all three strains, the total quantity of unsaturated fatty acids was larger and that of the cyclopropane fatty acids was smaller than those found in stationary-phase cultures of other enteric bacteria.

Chromatography, Gas↗