Chlamydia trachomatis

Chlamydia trachomatis
Chlamydia trachomatis in brown
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Chlamydiae
Class: Chlamydiae
Order: Chlamydiales
Family: Chlamydiaceae
Genus: Chlamydia
Species: C. trachomatis
Binomial name
Chlamydia trachomatis[1]
(Busacca 1935) Rake 1957 emend. Everett et al. 1999
Synonyms
  • Rickettsia trachomae (sic) Busacca 1935
  • Rickettsia trachomatis (Busacca 1935) Foley and Parrot 1937
  • Chlamydozoon trachomatis (Busacca 1935) Moshkovski 1945

Chlamydia trachomatis (/kləˌmɪdiə/ /trəˈkoʊmətᵻs/), also known as Chlamydia, is an organism responsible for the most prevalent STD in the United States,[2] is one of four bacterial species in the genus Chlamydia.[3] Chlamydia is a genus of pathogenic bacteria that are obligate intracellular parasites. C. trachomatis is a gram-negative bacterium. It is ovoid in shape and non-motile. The bacteria are non-spore-forming, but the elementary bodies act like spores when released into the host.[4] The inclusion bodies of Chlamydia trachomatis were first described in 1942; the Chlamydia trachomatis agent was first cultured in the yolk sacs of eggs by Professor Tang Fei-fan et al in 1957.[5][6]

Disorders caused by Chlamydia trachomatis include chlamydia, trachoma, lymphogranuloma venereum, nongonococcal urethritis, cervicitis, salpingitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and pneumonia.

C. trachomatis includes three human biovars:

Many, but not all, C. trachomatis strains have an extrachromosomal plasmid.[8]

Chlamydia can exchange DNA between its different strains, thus the evolution of new strains is common.[9]

Identification

Chlamydia species are readily identified and distinguished from other Chlamydia species using DNA-based tests.

Most strains of C. trachomatis are recognized by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to epitopes in the VS4 region of MOMP.[10] However, these mAbs may also cross-react with two other Chlamydia species, C. suis and C. muridarum.

Life-cycle

Life Cycle

Clinical significance

Clinical signs and symptoms of C. trachomatis infection and Gonorrhea infection are indistinguishable.[11] Both are common causes of Urethritis.[7] C. trachomatis is the single most important infectious agent associated with blindness (trachoma); approximately 84 million worldwide suffer C. trachomatis eye infections and 8 million are blinded as a result of the infection.[12] Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease that has been targeted by the World Health Organization for elimination by 2020.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the infection site, age of the patient, and whether another infection is present. It is possible to have a C. trachomatis and one or more other sexually transmitted infections at the same time. Treatment is often done with both partners simultaneously to prevent reinfection. C. trachomatis may be treated with several antibiotic medications. These include: azithromycin, erythromycin or ofloxacin.[11]

If treatment is necessary during pregnancy levofloxacin, ofloxacin and doxycycline are not prescribed. In the case of a patient that is pregnant the medications typically prescribed are azithromycin, amoxicillin and erythromycin. Amoxicillin has fewer side effects than the other medications for treating antenatal C. trachomatis infection. Retesting during pregnancy can be performed three weeks after treatment. If the risk of re-infection is high, screening can be repeated throughout pregnancy.[11]

If the infection has progressed, ascending the reproductive tract and pelvic inflammatory disease develops, damage to the fallopian tubes may have already occurred. In most cases the C. trachomatis infection is then treated on an outpatient basis with ofloxacin, levofloxacin, metronidazole, ceftriaxone, probenicid, and/or doxycycline. Don't forget to treat the mother of an infant with C. trachomatis of the eye, which can evolve into a pneumonia [11]

Laboratory tests

See also

References

  1. ↑ J.P. Euzéby. "Chlamydia". List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  2. ↑ "Chlamydia trachomatis".
  3. ↑ Ryan KJ, Ray CG (editors) (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology (4th ed.). McGraw Hill. pp. 463–70. ISBN 0-8385-8529-9.
  4. ↑ "Chlamydia - CDC Fact Sheet". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  5. ↑ Darougar S, Jones BR, Kinnison JR, Vaughan-Jackson JD, Dunlop EM (December 1972). "Chlamydial infection. Advances in the diagnostic isolation of Chlamydia, including TRIC agent, from the eye, genital tract, and rectum". Br J Vener Dis 48 (6): 416–20. doi:10.1136/sti.48.6.416. PMC 1048360. PMID 4651177.
  6. ↑ Tang FF, Huang YT, Chang HL, Wong KC (1958). "Further studies on the isolation of the trachoma virus". Acta Virol. 2 (3): 164–70. PMID 13594716.
    Tang FF, Chang HL, Huang YT, Wang KC (June 1957). "Studies on the etiology of trachoma with special reference to isolation of the virus in chick embryo". Chin Med J 75 (6): 429–47. PMID 13461224.
    Tang FF, Huang YT, Chang HL, Wong KC (1957). "Isolation of trachoma virus in chick embryo". J Hyg Epidemiol Microbiol Immunol 1 (2): 109–20. PMID 13502539.
  7. 1 2 Fredlund H, Falk L, Jurstrand M, Unemo M (2004). "Molecular genetic methods for diagnosis and characterisation of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: impact on epidemiological surveillance and interventions". APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica 112 (11–12): 771–84. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0463.2004.apm11211-1205.x. PMID 15638837.
  8. ↑ Carlson JH, Whitmire WM, Crane DD; et al. (June 2008). "The Chlamydia trachomatis Plasmid Is a Transcriptional Regulator of Chromosomal Genes and a Virulence Factor". Infection and immunity 76 (6): 2273–83. doi:10.1128/IAI.00102-08. PMC 2423098. PMID 18347045.
  9. ↑ Harris SR, Clarke IN, Seth-Smith HM; et al. (April 2012). "Whole-genome analysis of diverse Chlamydia trachomatis strains identifies phylogenetic relationships masked by current clinical typing". Nat. Genet. 44 (4): 413–9, S1. doi:10.1038/ng.2214. PMC 3378690. PMID 22406642.
  10. ↑ Ortiz L, Angevine M, Kim SK, Watkins D, DeMars R (2000). "T-Cell Epitopes in Variable Segments of Chlamydia trachomatis Major Outer Membrane Protein Elicit Serovar-Specific Immune Responses in Infected Humans". Infect. Immun. 68 (3): 1719–23. doi:10.1128/IAI.68.3.1719-1723.2000. PMC 97337. PMID 10678996.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Malhotra M, Sood S, Mukherjee A, Muralidhar S, Bala M (September 2013). "Genital Chlamydia trachomatis: an update". Indian J. Med. Res. 138 (3): 303–16. PMC 3818592. PMID 24135174.
  12. ↑ "Trachoma". Prevention of Blindness and Visual Impairment. World Health Organization.
  13. ↑ "Chlamydia Tests". Sexual Conditions Health Center. WebMD. Retrieved 2012-08-07.

Further reading

Bellaminutti, Serena; Seracini, Silva; De Seta, Francesco; Gheit, Tarik; Tommasino, Massimo; Comar, Manola (November 2014). "HPV and Chlamydia trachomatis Co-Detection in Young Asymptomatic Women from High Incidence Area for Cervical Cancer". Journal of Medical Virology 86 (11): 1920–1925. doi:10.1002/jmv.24041. Retrieved 13 November 2014. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 28, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.