Endocervical swabs transported in first void urine as combined specimens in the detection of Mycoplasma genitalium by real-time PCR.

The aim of this study was to determine whether a patient's endocervical swab specimen can be transported in first void urine (FVU) as combined specimens for the detection of Mycoplasma genitalium by real-time PCR. The study also compared two different DNA extraction methods for observation of possible PCR inhibition. Three specimens, one endocervical swab specimen transported in 2-SP medium, one endocervical swab specimen transported in FVU and a FVU specimen, were collected from 329 women.

Gene expression changes in brains of mice exposed to a maternal virus infection.

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to a maternal infection during fetal life can lead to the appearance of alterations in the brain later in life. C57BL/6 mice were infected intranasally with influenza A/WSN/33 virus on day 14 of gestation. The levels of transcripts encoding neuroleukin and fibroblast growth factor 5 were significantly elevated in the brains of the virus-exposed offspring at 90 and 280 days of age, but not at earlier time-points.

Invasion and persistence of the neuroadapted influenza virus A/WSN/33 in the mouse olfactory system.

Invasion and persistence of the neuroadapted influenza virus A/WSN/33 in the mouse olfactory system was studied. WSN/33 instilled intranasally infected neurons in the olfactory epithelium and was transported in axons to the olfactory bulbs in wild type mice that survived the infection. In adult mice lacking the recombination activating gene 1 (RAG-1-/-), infected neurons occurred in the olfactory bulbs for 22-65 days after which the mice developed a rapidly progressive lethal infection affecting neurons in olfactory projection pathways, i.

Persistence of viral RNA in the brain of offspring to mice infected with influenza A/WSN/33 virus during pregnancy.

Epidemiological studies have indicated an association between influenza A virus infections during fetal life and neuropsychiatric diseases. To study the potential for influenza A virus infections to cause nervous system dysfunctions, we describe a mouse model using intranasal instillation of the mouse neuroadapted influenza A/WSN/33 strain in pregnant mice. Viral RNA and nucleoprotein were detected in fetal brains and the viral RNA persisted for at least 90 days of postnatal life.