Overview
Topic status: In progress
Overview
Ectopic pregnancy is a potentially life-threatening condition and accounts for 2 - 11% of all pregnancies. Up to 50% of all female factor infertility is due to tubal disease/occlusion. Salpingitis, infection and subsequent inflammation of the Fallopian tubes, is the most frequent cause of tubal ectopic pregnancy and often results from ascension of microorganisms from the uterus or lower genital tract (Lehner, et al., 2000).
Previous studies have confirmed that:
- several species of microorganisms cause anatomical damage to human Fallopian tubes (Hvid, et al., 2007, Jurstrand, et al., 2007, McGee, et al., 1999, Taylor-Robinson and Carney, 1974), and
- genital tract infections are frequently poly-microbial (Jacobsson, et al., 2002, Soper, 2010).
However, in these studies, the majority of microbiological analyses of ectopic pregnancy and upper genital tract infection investigate only the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis.
Research Activities
Project management planning, risk assessment, human research ethics, DNA extraction, real-time PCR, bacteriology and biochemistry, tissue processing, staining, sectioning and microscopy.
Expected outcomes
This study seeks to contribute to the understanding of the pathology of Fallopian tube damage and tubal ectopic pregnancy through the establishment of:
- the prevalence of microorganisms within the Fallopian tubes, and
- the pathogenicity of individual or combined species on the Fallopian tube mucosa.
Project Duration
3 days per week for 6-8 weeks. Flexible November 2011 to February 2012
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scholarship
- Supervisors
- QUT
- Organisational unit
Science and Engineering Faculty
- Research area
- Contact
- Please contact the supervisor for enquiries.
Professor Louise Hafner
