Umbilical cord sclerosis as an indicator of congenital syphilis

Article Abstract:

Although examination of the umbilical cord has long been practiced by midwives, the number of conditions that can be diagnosed by this technique has been small. At the beginning of this century, inflammation of the umbilical cord was thought to be caused by congenital syphilis, but later research sought to disprove this theory. Congenital syphilis is a preventable, and potentially fatal, infection of newborn babies, which is now detected by blood tests. Two cases are presented here, one in which examination of the umbilical cord led to a diagnosis of syphilis, and another in which it led to confirmation of congenital syphilis. Neither of these cases would likely have been detected by the usual tests performed on the placenta. Both of these cases occurred in aboriginal women, but congenital syphilis occurs world-wide, and among all social classes. Hardening of the tissues of the umbilical cord (sclerosing funisitis) can be caused by Candida (a yeast-like fungi) and by bacteria, including the spirochete, the causative agent of syphilis. It is suggested that care should be taken to find the cause of abnormal hardening of the umbilical cord so that infection can be treated. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Case studies, Abnormalities, Umbilical cord, Spirochetes, Syphilis, Congenital, hereditary, and infantile, Congenital syphilis

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Congenital malaria in one identical twin

Article Abstract:

Malaria may be passed from mother to fetus, but such cases are rare. However, a case of congenital malaria, which may be unique, was recently seen in Great Britain. The mother of identical twins passed the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax to one fetus, but not to the other. One month after birth, mother and babies had no fever and no physical signs of malaria, but Plasmodium was identified on the blood smears of one infant. Further examination revealed that both twins had IgG antibodies to Plasmodium, but only the affected twin had IgM antibodies. Since IgG antibodies cross the placenta, they are likely to have come from the mother. However, IgM antibodies do not cross the placenta, indicating antibody production in the affected twin. Although there was no evidence of infection in the second twin, the decision was made to err on the side of safety and treat both infants with chloroquine. Mother and twins were well when the case was reviewed three months later. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Maternal-fetal exchange, Malaria, Twins, Plasmodium, Plasmodium (Protozoa)

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No evidence of HTLV-I infection in French patients with multiple sclerosis using the polymerase chain reaction

Article Abstract:

HTLV-I (human T-lymphotropic virus type I) has been shown to be associated with the neurological disease tropical spastic paraparesis. Controversial studies have reported a relation between HTLV-I and multiple sclerosis (MS), another neurologic disease. The association between HTLV-I and MS was further examined in the current study in which blood samples of 54 patients with MS were examined for the presence of HTLV-I. The technique used for the search was the polymerase chain reaction, which is a very sensitive technique capable of detecting very small quantities of the virus. The HTLV-I was not detected in blood samples from any of the MS patients. Controls for the experiment were performed. HTLV-I was detected in the blood of patients who were known to be infected, but not in healthy individuals without HTLV-I infection. These findings indicate that there is no correlation between the presence of HTLV-I and multiple sclerosis. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Causes of, Physiological aspects, Identification and classification, Multiple sclerosis, HTLV-I infections, HTLV-I (Virus)

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