The role of Chlamydia trachomatis in prostatitis

Introduction. Nongonococcal urethritis is the most common sexually transmitted infection in men, with vast majority of the etiological agents such as Chlamydia trachomatis, followed by urogenital mycoplasmas. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in nongonococcal urethritis in men, and to examine infections associated with these agents. Material and methods. 299 sexually active, heterosexual men with nongonococcal urethritis were included into the study. Urethral samples were taken with a dacron swab placed into the urethra up to 2-3 cm. The Direct immunojluorescence tehnique was performed for identification of Chlamydia trachomatis. Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis were detected with Mycoplasma 1ST assay. Results. Chlamydia trachomatis was detected in 22.75%, Uraeplasma urealyticum in 21.08% and Mycoplasma hominis in 8.02% cases. We found no significant differences in prevalence between Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticym (p>0.05). Monoinjections were found in 51.85% with significantly higher rate (p<0.01) than associated infections (11.70%). Among associated infections, coinfection of Chlamydia trahomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum was predominant. Association of Chlamydia trachomatis with urogenital mycoplasmas was significantly higher (p<0.05) than the one between Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis. In 36.45% patients no patogenic microorganisms were detected. Conclusion. These results confirmed the etiological role of Chlamydia trachomatis and urogenital mycoplasmas in nongonococcal urethritis with prevalence of 51.85% in monoinfections and 11.70% in associated infections. In 36.45% of cases the etiology of urethritis was not elucidated. These results suggest that more sensitive diagnostic tool should be applied when searching for the detailed etiology of nongonococcal urethritis.

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Evidence for cGAS-STING signaling in the female genital tract resistance to Chlamydia trachomatis infection

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00670-21 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Xin Su ◽

Hong Xu ◽

Maegan French ◽

Yujie Zhao ◽

Lingli Tang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Innate Immunity ◽

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Genital Tract ◽

Essential Role ◽

Cultured Cells ◽

Female Genital Tract ◽

Lower Genital Tract ◽

Female Genital

Sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis can ascend to the upper genital tract due to its resistance to innate immunity in the lower genital tract. C. trachomatis can activate cGAS-STING signaling pathway in cultured cells via either cGAS or STING. The current study was designed to evaluate the role of the cGAS-STING pathway in innate immunity against C. trachomatis in the mouse genital tract. Following intravaginal inoculation, C. trachomatis significantly declined by day 5 following a peak infection on day 3 while the mouse-adapted C. muridarum continued to rise for >1 week, indicating that C. trachomatis is susceptible to the innate immunity in the female mouse genital tract. This conclusion was supported by the observation of a similar shedding course in mice deficient in adaptive immunity. Thus, C. trachomatis can be used to evaluate innate immunity in the female genital tract. It was found that mice deficient in either cGAS or STING significantly increased the yields of live C. trachomatis on day 5, indicating an essential role of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in innate immunity of the mouse genital tract. Comparison of live C. trachomatis recovered from different genital tissues revealed that the cGAS-STING-dependent immunity against C. trachomatis was restricted to the mouse lower genital tract regardless of whether C. trachomatis was inoculated intravaginally or transcervically. Thus, we have demonstrated an essential role of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in innate immunity against chlamydial infection, laying a foundation for further illuminating the mechanisms of the innate immunity in the female lower genital tract.

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Chlamydia trachomatis infection: a challenge for the urologist

Microbiology Research ◽

10.4081/mr.2011.e14 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 14 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tommaso Cai ◽

Sandra Mazzoli ◽

Nicola Mondaini ◽

Gianni Malossini ◽

Riccardo Bartoletti

Keyword(s):

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Reproductive Tract ◽

Diagnosis And Treatment ◽

Everyday Clinical Practice ◽

Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

New Findings ◽

Asymptomatic Infections

The role of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) in everyday clinical practice is now on the increase because Ct infections are the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infections worldwide. Ct can cause urethritis, cervicitis, pharyngitis, or epididymitis, although asymptomatic infections are quite common. Ct infection remains asymptomatic in approximately 50% of infected men and 70% of infected women, with risk for reproductive tract sequelae both in women and men. A proper early diagnosis and treatment is essential in order to prevent persistent consequences. An accurate comprehension of the pathology, diagnosis and treatment of this entity is essential for the urologist. We review the literature about the new findings in diagnosis and treatment of Ct infection in sexually active young men.

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Urethral inflammatory response to ureaplasma is significantly lower than to Mycoplasma genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis

International Journal of STD & AIDS ◽

10.1177/0956462416666482 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 28 (8) ◽

pp. 773-780 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Harald Moi ◽

Nils Reinton ◽

Ivana Randjelovic ◽

Elina J Reponen ◽

Line Syvertsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Inflammatory Response ◽

Ureaplasma Urealyticum ◽

Mycoplasma Genitalium ◽

Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Polymorphonuclear Leucocytes ◽

Male Patients ◽

Micro Organisms

A non-syndromic approach to treatment of people with non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) requires identification of pathogens and understanding of the role of those pathogens in causing disease. The most commonly detected and isolated micro-organisms in the male urethral tract are bacteria belonging to the family of Mycoplasmataceae, in particular Ureaplasma urealyticum and Ureaplasma parvum. To better understand the role of these Ureaplasma species in NGU, we have performed a prospective analysis of male patients voluntarily attending a drop in STI clinic in Oslo. Of 362 male patients who were tested for NGU using microscopy of urethral smears, we found the following sexually transmissible micro-organisms: 16% Chlamydia trachomatis, 5% Mycoplasma genitalium, 14% U. urealyticum, 14% U. parvum and 5% Mycoplasma hominis. We found a high concordance in detecting in turn U. urealyticum and U. parvum using 16s rRNA gene and ureD gene as targets for nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT). Whilst there was a strong association between microscopic signs of NGU and C. trachomatis infection, association of M. genitalium and U. urealyticum infections in turn were found only in patients with severe NGU (>30 polymorphonuclear leucocytes, PMNL/high powered fields, HPF). U. parvum was found to colonise a high percentage of patients with no or mild signs of NGU (0–9 PMNL/HPF). We conclude that urethral inflammatory response to ureaplasmas is less severe than to C. trachomatis and M. genitalium in most patients and that testing and treatment of ureaplasma-positive patients should only be considered when other STIs have been ruled out.

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Role of cervical dendritic cell subsets, co-stimulatory molecules, cytokine secretion profile and beta-estradiol in development of sequalae to Chlamydia trachomatis infection

Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology ◽

10.1186/1477-7827-6-46 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 46 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Tanvi Agrawal ◽

Vikas Vats ◽

Paul K Wallace ◽

Sudha Salhan ◽

Aruna Mittal

Keyword(s):

Dendritic Cell ◽

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Cytokine Secretion ◽

Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection ◽

Secretion Profile ◽

Dendritic Cell Subsets ◽

Cytokine Secretion Profile

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Evaluation of the role of Chlamydia trachomatis in primary male infertility

International Journal of Clinical Practice ◽

10.1111/ijcp.14702 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Asmaa Nasr El‐din ◽

Hadeer Sorour ◽

Mona Fattouh ◽

Mohammed Abu El‐Hamd

Keyword(s):

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Male Infertility ◽

Primary Male

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Fluorescence-Reported Allelic Exchange Mutagenesis-Mediated Gene Deletion Indicates a Requirement for Chlamydia trachomatis Tarp during In Vivo Infectivity and Reveals a Specific Role for the C Terminus during Cellular Invasion

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00841-19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 88 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Susmita Ghosh ◽

Elizabeth A. Ruelke ◽

Joshua C. Ferrell ◽

Maria D. Bodero ◽

Kenneth A. Fields ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Host Cell ◽

Host Cells ◽

Actin Binding ◽

Wild Type ◽

Content Type ◽

Allelic Exchange ◽

Binding Domains

ABSTRACT The translocated actin recruiting phosphoprotein (Tarp) is a multidomain type III secreted effector used by Chlamydia trachomatis. In aggregate, existing data suggest a role of this effector in initiating new infections. As new genetic tools began to emerge to study chlamydial genes in vivo, we speculated as to what degree Tarp function contributes to Chlamydia’s ability to parasitize mammalian host cells. To address this question, we generated a complete tarP deletion mutant using the fluorescence-reported allelic exchange mutagenesis (FRAEM) technique and complemented the mutant in trans with wild-type tarP or mutant tarP alleles engineered to harbor in-frame domain deletions. We provide evidence for the significant role of Tarp in C. trachomatis invasion of host cells. Complementation studies indicate that the C-terminal filamentous actin (F-actin)-binding domains are responsible for Tarp-mediated invasion efficiency. Wild-type C. trachomatis entry into HeLa cells resulted in host cell shape changes, whereas the tarP mutant did not. Finally, using a novel cis complementation approach, C. trachomatis lacking tarP demonstrated significant attenuation in a murine genital tract infection model. Together, these data provide definitive genetic evidence for the critical role of the Tarp F-actin-binding domains in host cell invasion and for the Tarp effector as a bona fide C. trachomatis virulence factor.

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Antiapoptotic activity of Chlamydia trachomatis Pgp3 protein involves activation of the ERK1/2 pathway mediated by upregulation of DJ-1 protein

Pathogens and Disease ◽

10.1093/femspd/ftaa003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 77 (9) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fangzhen Luo ◽

Mingyi Shu ◽

Silu Gong ◽

Yating Wen ◽

Bei He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Hela Cells ◽

Signal Pathway ◽

Immune Defense ◽

Apoptosis Resistance ◽

Host Cell Apoptosis ◽

Pathway Activation ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Antiapoptotic Activity

ABSTRACT Chlamydia trachomatis has evolved strategies to prevent host cell apoptosis to evade the host immune defense. However, the precise mechanisms of antiapoptotic activity of C. trachomatis still need to be clarified. Pgp3, one of eight plasmid proteins of C. trachomatis, has been identified to be closely associated with chlamydial virulence. In this study, we attempted to explore the effects and the mechanisms of Pgp3 protein on apoptosis in HeLa cells; the results showed that Pgp3 increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio and prevented caspase-3 activation to suppress apoptosis induced by TNF-α and cycloheximide (CHX) through ERK1/2 pathway activation. Downregulation of DJ-1 with siRNA-DJ-1(si-DJ-1) reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and elevated apoptotic rate significantly in Pgp3-HeLa cells. However, inhibition of ERK1/2 signal pathway with ERK inhibitor PD98059 had little effect on DJ-1 expression. These findings confirm that plasmid protein Pgp3 contributes to apoptosis resistance through ERK1/2 signal pathway mediated by upregulation of DJ-1 expression. Therefore, the present study provided novel insights into the role of Pgp3 in apoptosis and suggested that manipulation of the host apoptosis response could be a new approach for the prevention and treatment of C. trachomatis infection.

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Assessment of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections in women undergoing laparoscopy: the role of peritoneal fluid sampling

Microbiologia Medica ◽

10.4081/mm.2016.6038 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Miroslav Dragic ◽

Patrizia Posteraro ◽

Carla Marani ◽

Maria Emanuela Natale ◽

Alessia Vecchioni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Peritoneal Fluid ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Chart Review ◽

Molecular Detection ◽

Retrospective Chart Review ◽

Potential Link ◽

Fluid Sampling

Background. Aim of this study was to assess the role of peritoneal fluid sampling for detection of bacterial infections due to Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) in women undergoing laparoscopic investigation. The potential link between microbiological positive result(s) and types of gynecological pathology was also evaluated. Materials and Methods. A large sample of women (n=1377) with their peritoneal fluids taken laparoscopically was studied. Data of microbiological and clinical/histopathological findings were entered into a database from a retrospective chart review. Culture and/or microscopy were used to detect NG or MT infection, whereas CT infection was detected using a PCR-based test. Results and Conclusions. Of all the patients (14 to 50 years aged), 463 (33.6%) had endometriosis, 1179 (85.6%) had a pathology/condition other than endometriosis, and 71 (5.2%) had no pathology as histologically documented. None of the patients had peritoneal fluid samples positive for NG or MT. In contrast, 30 (2.2%) of 1377 patients had peritoneal fluid samples positive for CT. Except for 3 women with no histopathological alteration, all the CT positive patients had either endometriosis (n=12) or non-endometriosis (n=13) pathology. Two remaining patients were diagnosed with both the pathologies. Accordingly, no significant association (OR) was found between CT positivity and pathology [only endometriosis, 1.13 (95%CI, 0.30-4.20)]; [only non-endometriosis, 0.53 (95%CI, 0.15-1.87)]. While confirming the low positivity rate for the CT molecular detection, the present data indicate the need for prospective studies to firmly establish the clinical usefulness of peritoneal fluid diagnostic in gynecological settings.

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