Chronic Chlamydial Diseases: From Atherosclerosis to Urogenital Infections

Abstract

Chlamydiae cause a wide range of diseases in human and animal hosts. Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis are important human pathogens with worldwide distribution that produce significant morbidity. Acute infections with C. pneumoniae cause respiratory tract infections, while chronic infection has been linked to chronic bronchitis, asthma and atherosclerosis. Ocular serovars of C. trachomatis induce trachoma, the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. C. trachomatis is the most common bacterial cause of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) worldwide. Acute infections with genital serovars of C. trachomatis remain clinically silent in most women, but can progress to upper genital tract infection leading to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydiainduced, reactive arthritis can develop as a late-term condition after genital C. trachomatis or respiratory C. pneumoniae infection. In this review, we address recent information on pathogenesis, immune response, diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases induced by C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae. Abstract:Chlamydiae cause a wide range of diseases in human and animal hosts. Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis are important human pathogens with worldwide distribution that produce significant morbidity. Acute infections with C. pneumoniae cause respiratory tract infections, while chronic infection has been linked to chronic bronchitis, asthma and atherosclerosis. Ocular serovars of C. trachomatis induce trachoma, the leading cause of blindness worldwide. C. trachomatis is the most common bacterial cause of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) worldwide. Acute infections with genital serovars of C. trachomatis remain clinically silent in most women but can progress to upper genital tract infection leading to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydia-induced, reactive arthritis can develop as a late-term condition after genital C. trachomatis or respiratory C. pneumoniae infection. In this review we address recent information on pathogenesis, immune

Global Mapping of the Inc-Human Interactome Reveals that Retromer Restricts Chlamydia Infection

“…C. trachomatis is the major cause of non-congenital blindness worldwide and a leading cause of sexually transmitted diseases and non-congenital infertility in Western countries (Mandell et al, 2010). C. pneumoniae is an important cause of respiratory infections and is linked to a number of chronic diseases (Leonard and Borel, 2014). Although treatable with antibiotics, no drug is cost-effective enough for widespread elimination of disease in developing nations.…”

Defining Species-Specific Immunodominant B Cell Epitopes for Molecular Serology of Chlamydia Species

“…Acute, chronic, or asymptomatic infections with C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae have a significant impact on human health (19). Infections with all Chlamydia spp.…”

wIRA: hyperthermia as a treatment option for intracellular bacteria, with special focus on Chlamydiae and Mycobacteria

“…Trachoma is associated with poor hygiene status and extreme poverty [60]. The disease is spread by direct contact with ocular and nasal discharges, contact with fomites, or contact with eye-seeking flies (reviewed in [61,62]). One episode of infection results in selflimiting chlamydial conjunctivitis, an acute phase referred to as active trachoma [63,64].…”

“…Repeated and/or persistent infections trigger sustained inflammation and scarring of the upper tarsal conjunctiva. Scarring and fibrosis, in turn, distort the upper eyelid and facilitate inturning of the eyelid (entropion) and eyelashes (trichiasis), causing irritation of the corneal surface and irreversible blindness due to corneal opacity (reviewed in [61]). The immune response to C. trachomatis provides only partial protection and does not prevent re-infection [64], which renders the development of a vaccine against trachoma unlikely.…”

“…Under adverse environmental conditions, developing chlamydiae may enter a state referred to as persistence, more recently named the chlamydial stress response or the aberrant (AB) RB phenotype [61,69,70] (Figure 4). The AB form is more resistant, or even refractory, to antibiotic treatment [69].…”