A Further Evidence Of Pathogenic Role Of Chlamydia Pneumoniae In Multiple Sclerosis

Conflicting results concerning the isolation of C. pneumoniae in MS still exist. We collected CSF specimens from 47 patients with definite MS of which 36 with relapsing-remitting (RR), 3 with secondary progressive (SP) and 8 with primary progressive (PP) forms; (mean age = 34.4 ± 10.8; EDSS mean at entry = 3.3 ± 0.7; duration of the disease in months 84.9 ± 88.9). 34 RR and SP MS patients experienced a clinically active phase and 5 a clinically stable phase of the disease. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) enhancing brain lesions were present in 24 and absent in 23 MS patients. None patient received immunosuppressive drugs 6 months before the study. CSF were analysed by a n-PCR “touchdown” with specific primer for the16sRNA and for the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) gene of C. pneumoniae DNA. PCR was positive for MOMP gene in 8 (17%) cases and in 10 (21%) for the 16s RNA. PCR was thus positive in 19/34 (55.9%) of clinically active MS, in 3/5 (60%) of clinically stable MS, in 17/24 (70.8%) of MRI active MS and in 8/23 (34.8%) of MRI stable MS. The high isolation of C. pneumoniae DNA in MS patients indicate for this pathogen an important pathogenic role in all stages of MS