Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a flow of partially ionized argon gas at an ambient macroscopic temperature and is microbicidal for bacteria, viruses and fungi. Viability of the Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterial parasite Chlamydia trachomatis and its host cells was investigated after NTP treatment. NTP treatment of C. -fold reduction in the concentration of infectious bacteria. When the samples were covered with magnesium fluoride glass to obstruct plasma particles and UV rays alone were applied, the bactericidal effect was reduced 1.4¾10 1 -fold and 5¾10 4-fold for EBs and RBs, respectively. NTP treatment caused the viability of host McCoy cells to diminish by 19 %. Therefore, the results obtained demonstrated that (i) both extracellular and intracellular forms of C. trachomatis are sensitive to NTP treatment; (ii) the reduction in concentration of infectious bacteria after NTP treatment of infected cells is superior to the reduction in viability of host cells; and (iii) the effect of NTP on intracellular bacteria does not depend on UV rays.

Chlamydia and antibodies to them were detected by serological, molecular biological, and culture methods in the sera and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis and in the reference groups of subjects without neurological diseases. Correlations between the agent presence in the biological fluids of patients and clinical characteristics of the disease were analyzed. C. pneumoniae were more incident in the biological liquids of patients with multiple sclerosis than in healthy volunteers. On the other hand, the incidence of the agent in the patients was not high and its presence did not correlate with the clinical manifestations. C. trachomatis was equally rare in the patients and volunteers. The studies indicated the existence of a group of patients infected by C. pneumoniae in the cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis, but the impact of this agent for the disease course remains unclear.

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