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DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-835938
Quantitative evaluation of chlamydia psittaci infection in three different forms of pulmonary emphysema
Previous investigations detected Chlamydia psittaci (Cp.) in pulmonary emphysema by morphological methods and PCR.
Formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded lung tissue from patients with three different forms of emphysema [alpha1-PI-deficiency (n=12), diffuse smokers (n=47) and giant bullous emphysema (n=16)] undergoing surgery was stained with a monoclonal mouse anti-Cp. primary antibody and a peroxidase based detecting system. Presence of Cp. in macrophages, type 2 pneumocytes, bronchiolar epithelial cells, and lymphocytes was counted in 5 high power fields. Lung tissue from patients with hamartochondroma was used as negative control. Overall detection rates vary between 83.3% in alpha1-PI-deficiency and 100% in diffuse smokers and giant bullous emphysema. Higher rates of infection were detected in macrophages, type 2 pneumocytes, and lymphocytes of smokers emphysema.
Bronchiolar epithelial cells were most frequently infected in alpha1-PI-deficiency emphysema.
Cp. can be demonstrated easily by immunohistochemistry. Infection rates vary by cell types between these different forms of emphysema, which might be relevant in pathogenesis.
No. of Cp. positive cells per emphysema and cell type
|
|
macrophages |
type 2 pneumocytes |
bronchiolar epithelial cells |
lymphocytes |
|
smokers emphysema (n=47) |
7.1±11.7 |
12.0±66.0 |
10.0±29.6 |
2.8±2.0 |
|
alpha1-PI-deficiency emphysema (n=12) |
2.9±4.5 |
5.4±6.9 |
22.0±60.0 |
1.2±0.1 |
|
alpha1-PI-deficiency emphysema (n=12) |
1.3±3.2 |
5.4±17.2 |
9.9±41.7 |
1.3±0.5 |
Arithmetical mean±standard deviation