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Chlamydia and sudden infant death syndrome. A study of 166 SIDS and 30 control cases

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Summary

Chlamydia inclusions could be demonstrated by an immunofluorescence assay in formalin-fixed lung sections in 32 of 166 cases (19.4%) of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and in the lungs of only 1 of 30 infants with a known cause of death (3.3%). The difference is statistically significant (P = 0.04).Chlamydia trachomatis is an agent of pneumonia in 1–4 month-old infants who have acquired the disease from an infected cervix during birth, but other chlamydia species are also capable of causing pneumonia. The lung sections of the 32 chlamydia positive SIDS cases did not show typical histological signs of pneumonia. Even though chlamydia inclusions were detected in the lungs of 32 SIDS cases a causal relation between chlamydia infection and SIDS could not be demonstrated.

Zusammenfassung

Chlamydia-Einschlüsse konnten mit Hilfe eines Immunfluoreszenz-Ansatzes in formalinfixierten Lungenschnitten in 32 von 166 Fällen (19,4%) des Syndroms des plötzlichen Kindstodes und in lediglich einem von 30 Fällen von Kindern mit bekannter Todesursache (3,3%) festgestellt werden. Der Unterschied ist statistisch significant (P - 0,04). Chlamydia trachomatis ist ein Erzeuger von Pneumonien bei 1–4 Monate alten Kindern, die die Erkrankung während der Geburt aufgrund einer infizierten Cervix acquiriert haben, aber andere Chlamydia-Arten sind auch imstande, eine Pneumonic zu verursachen. Die Lungenschnitte von 32 Chlamydia-positiven SIDS-Fällen zeigten keine typischen histologischen Zeichen der Pneumonie. Obwohl jedoch Chlamydia-Einschlüsse in den Lungen von 32 SIDS-Fällen gefunden wurden, konnte eine kausale Beziehung zwischen Chlamydia-Infektion und SIDS nicht nachgewiesen werden.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Aarhus, Finsengade 15, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Jytte Banner Lundemose & Markil Gregersen

  2. Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

    Anker G. Lundemose

  3. Institute of Forensic Pathology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Karin Helweg-Larsen

  4. Institute of Forensic Medicine, Odense University, Odense, Denmark

    Jørn Simonsen

Authors
  1. Jytte Banner Lundemose
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  2. Anker G. Lundemose
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  3. Markil Gregersen
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  4. Karin Helweg-Larsen
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  5. Jørn Simonsen
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Lundemose, J.B., Lundemose, A.G., Gregersen, M. et al. Chlamydia and sudden infant death syndrome. A study of 166 SIDS and 30 control cases. Int J Leg Med 104, 3–7 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01816475

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01816475

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