Stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from chlamydia-infected women release predominantly Th1-polarizing cytokines.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection (chlamydia) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infection and causes significant reproductive morbidity in women. Little is known about how immunity to chlamydia develops in women, though animal models of chlamydia indicate that T-helper type 1 (Th1) responses are important for chlamydia clearance and protective immunity, whereas T-helper type 2 (Th2) responses are associated with persisting infection. In chlamydia-infected women, whether the predominant immune response is Th1- or Th2-polarizing remains controversial. To determine the cytokine profiles elicited by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from chlamydia-infected women, we stimulated PBMCs with C. trachomatis elementary bodies and recombinant C. trachomatis Pgp3 and measured supernatant levels of select cytokines spanning Th1- and Th2-polarizing responses. We found that stimulated PBMCs from chlamydia-infected women secreted cytokines that indicate strong Th1-polarizing responses, especially interferon-gamma, whereas Th2-polarizing cytokines were expressed at significantly lower levels. In chlamydia-infected women, the predominant cytokine responses elicited on stimulation of PBMCs with C. trachomatis antigens were Th1-polarizing, with interferon-gamma as the predominant cytokine.

Seroprevalence of antibodies against Pkn1, a novel potential immunogen, in Chlamydia trachomatis-infected Macaca nemestrina and human patients.

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is an important cause of sexually transmitted genital tract infections (STIs) and trachoma. Despite major research into chlamydial pathogenesis and host immune responses, immunoprotection has been hampered by the incomplete understanding of protective immunity in the genital tract. Characterized vaccine candidates have shown variable efficacy ranging from no protection to partial protection in vivo. It is therefore a research priority to identify novel chlamydial antigens that may elicit protective immune responses against CT infection. In the present study we assessed the seroprevalence of antibodies against protein kinase1 (Pkn1), DNA ligaseA (LigA), and major outer membrane protein A (OmpA) following natural CT infection in humans and in experimentally induced CT infection in Macaca nemestrina. Antigenic stretches of Pkn1, LigA, and OmpA were identified using bioinformatic tools. Pkn1, LigA, and OmpA genes were cloned in bacterial expression vector and purified by affinity chromatography. Our results demonstrate significantly high seroprevalence of antibodies against purified Pkn1 and OmpA in sera obtained from the macaque animal model and human patients infected with CT. In contrast no significant seroreactivity was observed for LigA. The seroprevalence of antibodies against Pkn1 suggest that nonsurface chlamydial proteins could also be important for developing vaccines for C. trachomatis.

The persistence of Chlamydia trachomatis elementary body cell walls in human polymorphonuclear leucocytes and induction of a chemiluminescent response.

Human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (HPMN) were incubated with [35S]methionine-labelled Chlamydia trachomatis (serovar L2/434/Bu) elementary bodies (EB) and EB cell walls. No net loss in the TCA-precipitable radioactivity was observed over 24 h in the HPMN that had taken up EB cell walls. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the labelled C. trachomatis EB and EB cell wall proteins extracted from the HPMN at 2 and 24 h after infection demonstrated the persistence of most of the chlamydial cell wall polypeptides. Analysis of extracts of the HPMN that had taken up either EB or EB cell walls on Urografin density gradients at 2 and 24 h after infection, and electron microscopic observations on fractions representing the peaks, demonstrated the persistence of the EB cell walls in the HPMN. Electron microscopic observations of HPMN that had taken up EB or EB cell walls demonstrated EB cell walls in the HPMN phagosomes at 24 h after infection. The HPMN exposed to EB and EB cell walls of C. trachomatis gave chemiluminescent (CL) responses with peaks respectively 12 and 7 times greater than the peak value of the control. The significance of the persistence of the EB cell wall polypeptides and cell walls in the HPMN and activation of the HPMN to produce oxygen radicals (i.e. a CL response), and its possible relation to rheumatic diseases, is discussed.

Evaluation of a C-reactive protein latex agglutination detection test with sera from patients with sexually transmitted diseases.

A total of 149 sera, including 79 pre- and posttreatment sera from 33 patients with disseminated gonococcal infections, 18 from patients with uncomplicated gonococcal infections, 6 from patients with pelvic inflammatory disease, 4 from patients with genital Chlamydia trachomatis infections, and 42 from normal volunteers, were examined for C-reactive protein with a latex agglutination C-reactive protein detection kit (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.). Results were quantitated with LC-Partigen C-reactive protein radial immuno-diffusion plates (Calbiochem-Behring, La Jolla, Calif.). Positive latex agglutination results were observed in all of the pretreatment sera and some of the posttreatment sera of patients with disseminated gonococcal infections and in two sera from patients with pelvic inflammatory disease, which corresponded to quantitative C-reactive protein levels in the radial immunodiffusion plates. C-reactive protein levels were not detectable in the serum samples from normal volunteers or patients with uncomplicated gonococcal infections or genital chlamydial infections. Positive latex agglutination occurred as early as 20 s in sera with high C-reactive protein levels, and all positive results were observed within 90 s of the 3-min test limit. Positive latex test results were obtained with C-reactive protein levels as low as 1 mg/dl (10 micrograms/ml).

Sero-epidemiological study of Lymphogranuloma venereum in Western Nigeria.

A sero epidemiological study involving 5009 individuals resident in the two largest cities (Ibadan and Benin) in the Western Region of Nigeria has been carried out, using the LGVCFT to determine the presence of LGV antibodies. These individuals come from various population groups and social classes (i.e. blood donors, antenatal clinic patients, general out-patients, venereal diseases clinic patients and prostitutes). Among the 3638 subjects tested in Ibadan, the seroreactivity rates ranged from 5.3% to 11.5%, while of the 1371 in Benin, the seroreactivity ranged from 7.3% to 18.3%. The seroreactivity rates confirm previous suspicion that there is a considerable reservoir of infection among the female population both in normal women and in prostitutes. While the value of LGVCFT as an epidemiological tool in the estimation of latent or active infection in a community has been substantiated, a puzzling variation in the endemicity of the LGV agent, even within the same region, has been observed. It is suggested that routine testing of blood donors and antenatal women with LGVCFT such as done with serological tests for syphilis should be carried out in tropical countries where LGV is endemic.