Frameshift mutations in a single novel virulence factor alter the in vivo pathogenicity of Chlamydia trachomatis for the female murine genital tract.

ABSTRACT: Chlamydia trachomatis is a human pathogen of global importance. An obstacle to studying the pathophysiology of human chlamydial disease is the lack of a suitable murine model of C. trachomatis infection. Mice are less susceptible to infection with human isolates due in part to innate mouse-specific host defense mechanisms to which human strains are sensitive. Another possible factor that influences the susceptibility of mice to infection is that human isolates are commonly cultivated in vitro prior to infection of mice; therefore, virulence genes could be lost as a consequence of negative selective pressure. We tested this hypothesis by infecting innate immunity-deficient C3H/HeJ female mice intravaginally with a human serovar D urogenital isolate that had undergone multiple in vitro passa

SUBMITTER: Sturdevant GL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2937465 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature