Role of Chlamydia trachomatis and HLA-B27 in sexually acquired reactive arthritis.
- 11 March 1978
- Vol. 1 (6113), 605-607
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.1.6113.605
Abstract
Inflammatory arthritis, tendinitis, and fasciitis after non-specific urethritis ("sexually acquired reactive arthritis" (SARA)) was studied prospectively in 531 men with non-specific urethritis, with particular reference to the frequency of isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis and the presence of HLA-B27. Satisfactory cultures were obtained from the urethral swabs from 384 patients; and HLA typing was performed on 482, of whom 30 (6%) were HLA-B27-positive. Arthritis developed in 16 patients, and five of the 14 (36%) with satisfactory cultures were positive for C trachomatis; 135 of the patients without arthritis were also positive for C trachomatis, an identical proportion. Seven of the 15 patients (40%) with arthritis who were HLA-typed were HLA-B27-positive. Six of the 30 patients with HLA-B27 developed peripheral arthritis in contrast to only nine of the 452 patients lacking the antigen, suggesting a tenfold increase susceptibility. C trachomatis, however, was no more prevalent in cultures from HLA-B27-positive men than from the others. Thus carriage of C trachomatis is unlikely to be influenced by HLA-B27. C trachomatis may be an important pathogen in some cases of SARA but does not appear to be an exclusive trigger factor for this condition.Keywords
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- Isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis from the male urethra.Sexually Transmitted Infections, 1977
- Non-specific urethritis. A placebo-controlled trial of minocycline in conjunction with laboratory investigations.Sexually Transmitted Infections, 1976
- Chlamydial infection of the male urethra.Sexually Transmitted Infections, 1976
- Laboratory procedures for the isolation of chlamydia trachomatis from the human genital tract.Journal of Clinical Pathology, 1975
- Chlamydial infection of the male baboon urethra.Sexually Transmitted Infections, 1975
- Chlamydial isolates from Reiter's syndrome.Sexually Transmitted Infections, 1973
- Experimental bedsonial arthritisArthritis & Rheumatism, 1973
- Chlamydial infection. Role of Chlamydia subgroup A in non-gonococcal and post-gonococcal urethritis.Sexually Transmitted Infections, 1972
- Chlamydial infection. Isolation of Chlamydia from patients with non-specific genital infection.Sexually Transmitted Infections, 1972
- Chlamydial infection. Improved methods of collection of material for culture from the urogenital tract and rectum.Sexually Transmitted Infections, 1972