Experimental acute salpingitis was produced in four pig-tailed monkeys. Macaca nemestrina, by intratubal inoculation with Chlamydia trachomatis (serotypes E or F). The organisms were reisolated from ...both the endosalpinx and endocervix as early as 1week after the original inoculation. Endosalpinx cellular responses to the infection were examined by light, transmission, and scanning electron microscopy. A moderate lymphocyte infiltration was detected in the submucosa on day 7. By days 14 and 21 the lymphocytic infiltration was heavy and extended into both the submucosa and the mucosa; the infiltration subsided by day 35. Epithelial cell degeneration occurred in close approximation to lymphocytes, suggesting the immunologic basis of tissue destruction. Scanning electron microscopy revealed extensive deciliation and increased plasmalemmal alterations of nonciliated cells. The presence of C. trachomatis in frozen and deparaffinized tissues was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase staining with monoclonal antibody to C. trachomatis. Only secretory cells contained chlamydial inclusions. A humoral immune response to C. trachomatis was demonstrated by microimmunofluorescence. No histologic or immunologic evidence of infection was present in two control monkeys inoculated with HeLa cell material. The histopathologic and immunologic findings of this study establish the pig-tailed monkey as a useful model for further studies of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of chlamydial salpingitis.
Ciliary ovum transport through the oviductal ampulla was investigated, in vivo, by blocking smooth muscle activity. Isoproterenol eliminated rapid muscle-induced egg movements, yet the egg and its ...surrounding cells reached the site of fertilization within normal time limits. The role of cilia in ovum transport thus seems more important than that of the smooth muscle.
Distributions of embryos and 500-micron diameter microspheres were measured in the cleared oviducts of 32 rabbits at 8 intervals
post coitus (pc) and normalized to percentage of isthmic length. By 18 ...h pc, 46% of the embryos had entered the isthmus and
were denuded of the cumulus, while 55% of the microspheres had entered the isthmus. By 24 h pc, all embryos and microspheres
were in the isthmus. At 72, 78, and 84 h pc, 6.5, 37, and 93% of embryos and 21, 73, and 95% of microspheres were in the cornu,
respectively. The mean positions of embryos and microspheres progressed at approximately 1% of isthmic length per hour between
24 and 72 h pc. Throughout isthmic transport, embryos and microspheres in individual oviducts were tightly grouped and had
similar statistical distributions. Although microspheres began to transfer into the uterine horns earlier than embryos, the
data suggest that 500-micron microspheres can be used in studies to quantify discrete movements within the oviduct prior to
72 h pc. The data further suggest that opposing forces may be generated by contractile events that keep embryos grouped and
possibly control their rate of progress through the oviduct.
For assessment of the use of the argon laser for tubal anastomosis, the uterine horns of 12 Sprague-Dawley rats were surgically divided and then anastomosed, 6 by argon laser photocoagulation and 6 ...by the conventional technique of microsurgery. After a 4- to 6-week postsurgical period subjects were reexamined. All microsutured anastomoses were fully patent and continuous, with no apparent fibrosis. Four of six laser subjects had complete occlusion; the other two exhibited patencies between 10% and 20% of normal luminal area. Although initially producing satisfactory union, argon laser photocoagulation proved highly tissue traumatic, resulting in poor regeneration of the anastomotic site.
The feasibility of using black polystyrene microspheres as surrogate ova to obtain quantitative information regarding ovum
motion in the oviductal isthmus was tested in rabbits. The 175-microns ...diameter surrogates were instilled into the ampulla
at the time of ovulation, and later the oviducts were exposed for direct observation of surrogate movements in the isthmic
lumen. With the aid of transillumination, the black spheres were visible through the intact tubal wall and cinematographic
records were made to quantify their movements. The frequency of surrogate movements was 5/min at 24, 36 and 48 h after coitus
an 10/min at 60 and 72 h. The motion was typically oscillative with individual movements less than 4 mm in length; usually
no net displacement occurred during 1-2 h of observation. These preliminary data, when used to test the stochastic model of
ovum transport proposed by Verdugo et al. (1980), predicted isthmic transit times of only a few hours. Thus, the long duration
of ovum residence in the rabbit isthmus may not be due to a slow transport process governed by random motion.
Experimental salpingitis was studied by the introduction of Chlamydia trachomatis, immunotype D, directly into the oviducts of New Zealand White rabbits. Some rabbits were rechallenged with ...immunotype F to elicit a second infection. Both experiments produced self-limited acute salpingitis. Light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed an extensive polymorphonuclear leukocytic infiltration in the submucosa and mucosa. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed various alterations of the endosalpingeal surface, including deciliation and flattening of the epithelial cells. These morphologic changes were more pronounced following rechallenge. High and long-lasting serum antibody titers were observed in those rabbits receiving intratubal inoculation of live infectious organisms; no response was evident when inactivated organisms were used. These results indicate that the rabbit is useful in the study of the effects of infection on oviductal function.
Ligation of the ovarian end of the oviduct was used to induce hydrosalpinges in rabbits and monkeys. This procedure resulted in an accumulation of clear serous fluid within the lumen and distention ...of the ampullary wall. The ampullary endosalpinx responded with a general flattening of the surface architecture, especially a decrease in the prominence of the longitudinal mucosal folds. However, this flattened epithelial surface showed normal ciliation. Two to five months after ligation, direct observations were made in vivo of luminal transport of cumulus egg masses and surrogates. These observations were followed by study in vitro of ciliary currents on the exposed luminal surface. The results demonstrated conclusively that tubal dilatation had no adverse effect on cilia-mediated ovum transport within the ampulla. The implication of these results in terms of tubal infertility is discussed.
Long-term hydrosalpinges were mechanically induced in rabbits by ligation of the fimbriated end of the oviduct. The structure and function of these model hydrosalpinges were studied 28 to 52 weeks ...following ligation. This procedure caused a nonpurulent, clear serous fluid to accumulate within the lumen of the ampulla, which resulted in dilatation of the ampulla and thinning of the tubal wall. The intraluminal mucosal folds were attenuated in the expanded regions; however, normal ciliation was predominant throughout the endosalpinx. Two rabbits, one with a single distal tubal ligation and the other with double ampullary ligation, showed abnormal epithelium with distinct patches of flattened polygon-shaped, nonciliated cells. In vivo and in vitro observations of luminal transport of surrogate ova in cumulus showed that ciliary transport was not affected by the long-term gross distension of the ampullae. The authors conclude that long-term tubal dilatation by itself does not alter tubal morphology sufficiently to impair ovum transport function in the oviductal ampulla.
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