Rubella virus does not induce apoptosis in primary human embryo fibroblast cultures: a possible way of viral persistence in congenital infection.

Congenital rubella is a persistent infection that contrasts with acute postnatal infection. Basis of the Rubella virus (RV) persistence still remain unknown, though several hypotheses have been postulated. RV induces apoptosis in cell lines, maybe as a way of cell-autonomous defense mechanism against virus. Considering the pattern of c-oncogenes expression during embryogenesis, which promotes proliferation while it inhibits apoptosis in specific cells, at certain times, it can be proposed that when RV infection establishes early in gestation, embryo cells that are proliferating have their apoptotic pathways shut down; then infected proliferating embryo cells cannot execute their apoptotic death program. We here report that RV induces apoptosis in human normal-term placenta chorionic villi explants (CVE) and in monolayers of cytotrophoblasts (CTB), but does not induce apoptosis in primary human embryo fibroblasts (HEF) cultures. These results suggest distinct responses to RV infection when comparing differentiated cells, as CTB, to cells with high proliferating potential, as HEF. RV shoots apoptosis in the former, whereas in fibroblastic dividing cells derived from embryo, RV appears not to be enough stimulus to activate the genetic program of cell death.

Aislamiento de cepas de Chlamydia trachomatis Lugol negativas / Isolation of lugol-free strains of Chlamydia trachomatis

Durante el período 1999-2000, se realizó el aislamiento de Chlamydia trachomatis (C trachomatis) a partir de 132 muestras genitales de una población seleccionada de la ciudad de Córdoba. Las inclusiones chlamydiales se revelaron por coloración de Lugol y por inmunofluorescencia indirecta con anticuerpos monoclonales (IFI-AcMn). Se obtuvieron 43 aislamientos positivos por IFI-AcMn, en cambio, sólo 40 fueron positivos por coloración de Lugol. Los 3 aislamientos IFI positivos y Lugol negativos desarrollaron inclusiones semejantes a las inclusiones chlamydiales, pero en su interior no habían retenido el colorante con iodo. Si como los resultados demuestran, existen cepas de C. trachomatis con nuevas características, el aislamiento en cultivo celular y el revelado por IFI-AcMn sería el método de elección para el diagnóstico de la infección por C. trachomatis