We recently reported on a new preventive treament designed to catch chlamydia before it could spread and cause fertility problems. (See the report here.) Additional news reports suggest that calcium-blocking treatment for chlamydia could also help to reduce the number of miscarriages caused by the disease.
Anthony Azenabor, UW-Milwaukee associate of health sciences, has been involved in research studying the bacteria that causes chlamydia. Through his research, he has uncovered information about the ways in which the bacteria attacks the body's immune system. Applying this information to miscarriages caused by the bacteria, he looked at how this affects the trohpoblasts (protective cells) in the placenta during the early stages of pregnancy.
"It's not for nothing that trophoblasts are the early cells," says Azenabor. "They prevent any kind of infection that could threaten the fertilized egg. They produce toxic chemicals similar to those of macrophages."
Basically what this means for you and I is that the body attacks the cells. Azenabor is working on finding a way to block these effects so that pregnancies won't be terminated by the body.
Interestingly, this same research may also help with the prevention of heart disease.
