Association of tubal factor infertility with elevated antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis caseinolytic protease P

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to assess antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis heat shock proteins (HSP) in patients with tubal factor infertility (TFI), infertility controls (IFC), and fertile controls (FC). HSPs assist organisms in surviving caustic environments such as heat. STUDY DESIGN Twenty-one TFI, 15 IFC, and 29 FC patients were enrolled after laparoscopic tubal assessment. The titers of antibodies against C trachomatis organisms and 14 chlamydial HSPs were compared among the 3 groups. RESULTS TFI patients developed significantly higher levels of antibodies against C trachomatis and specifically recognizing chlamydial HSP60 and caseinolytic protease (Clp) P, a subunit of the ATP-dependent Clp protease complex involved in the degradation of abnormal proteins. CONCLUSION In addition to confirming high titers of antibodies against C trachomatis organisms and HSP60 in TFI patients, we identified a novel link of TFI with anti-ClpP antibodies. These findings may provide useful information for developing a noninvasive screening test for TFI and constructing subunit anti-C trachomatis vaccines.

Development and evaluation of a multi-antigen peptide ELISA for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis-related infertility in women

“…This lack of widespread implementation seems likely to be due to low specificity of the gold standard MIF and due to different perspectives on how the result can be best implemented into clinical protocol (Broeze et al, 2011). This has resulted in attempts to identify new antigens and develop new serological tests that could be used to specifically and sensitively identify chlamydial tubal infertility (Rodgers et al, 2010(Rodgers et al, , 2011Sanchez-Campillo et al, 1999;ForsbachBirk et al, 2010;Wills et al, 2009).…”

Infertilidad tubárica e infección genital por Chlamydia trachomatis-Ureaplasma urealyticum

“…Al respecto, se ha vinculación la infertilidad, sobre todo aquella por factor tubárico, a la infección por CT, patógeno que ha podido aislarse en la mayoría de las mujeres con infertilidad tubárica; detectándose títulos elevados de anticuerpos anti-C trachomatis en más del 70% de las mujeres con oclusión de las trompas uterina (9).…”

Intravenous Inoculation with Chlamydia muridarum Leads to a Long-Lasting Infection Restricted to the Gastrointestinal Tract

“…This is because a single inoculation of C. muridarum organisms in the mouse lower genital tract can cause hydrosalpinx and infertility (7)(8)(9), closely mimicking the tubal adhesion, hydrosalpinx, and infertility observed in women urogenitally infected with C. trachomatis (10)(11)(12). Although C. muridarum is not a natural sexually transmitted agent of mice, chlamydiologists have used this model not only to identify both chlamydial (13)(14)(15)(16)(17) and host (1,5,(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) pathogenic determinants but also to define the roles of ascending infection and tubal inflammation in chlamydial induction of hydrosalpinx (9,16,25,26).…”