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Biomedical subjects

J Schachter

Publications and source records attributed to J Schachter.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed1973

Laboratory diagnosis of trachoma: a collaborative study.

A collaborative study on the laboratory diagnosis of trachoma was carried out in three laboratories. A standardized complement fixation (CF) test with chlamydial (bedsonial) group antigen was found to be highly reproducible. The results obtained by different laboratories using the method and reagents suggested by the WHO International Reference Centre for Trachoma and other Chlamydial Infections agreed in more than 95% of the tests. Similar agreement was observed between the results obtained with these reagents and those routinely used in one of these laboratories. In confirmation of previous studies, the CF test was found to give positive results in only a limited proportion of trachoma cases. However, in an area where the disease is hyperendemic the rates showed good correlation with the intensity of clinical signs. A comparison was also made between Giemsa staining and a fluorescent antibody (FA) technique for the cytological examination of conjunctival scrapings. The results obtained with the former method correlated well with clinical activity but the positivity rate was lower than that obtained by the FA technique. The FA results, however, were not an accurate indicator of clinical intensity. These results suggest that the Giemsa method may detect only the most heavily infected individuals.

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PubMed1973

Chlamydiae as agents of human and animal diseases.

A brief review is given of the properties, occurrence, and public health significance of chlamydiae in man and animals and of the diagnosis and control of chlamydial infections. Chlamydiae occur naturally in a large number of avian and mammalian species. Man is the primary host of chlamydiae causing trachoma, inclusion conjunctivitis, genito-urinary tract infection, and lymphogranuloma venereum. In animals chlamydial infections have been recognized as a cause of pneumonia, encephalitis, abortion, arthritis, diarrhoea, and conjunctivitis. Chlamydial infections have been recognized in a wide range of avian hosts. Sporadic psittacosis/ornithosis in man is associated with close exposure to birds and may occur as an occupational disease. Transmission studies suggest that mammalian chlamydial strains are not very host-specific and that diseases and even chains of infection may develop in secondary hosts. There are a few well-documented cases of human infection with chlamydiae of mammalian origin. Although various chlamydial isolates have specific antigenic components, no routine test for identifying different serotypes has been generally accepted. Further investigation of the host range of chlamydiae and of their antigenic properties is essential for a more accurate assessment of the potential danger of chlamydia-infected animals to human health. The frequent occurrence of inapparent or latent infections makes it imperative to establish adequate laboratory facilities for the effective surveillance and control of chlamydial infections.

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