A Genital Infection-Attenuated Chlamydia muridarum Mutant Infects the Gastrointestinal Tract and Protects against Genital Tract Challenge.

ABSTRACT: Chlamydia spp. productively infect mucosal epithelial cells of multiple anatomical sites, including the conjunctiva, lungs, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and urogenital tract. We, and others, previously established that chlamydial GI tropism is mediated by distinct chromosomal and plasmid factors. In this study, we describe a genital infection-attenuated Chlamydia muridarum mutant (GIAM-1) that is profoundly and specifically attenuated in the murine genital tract. GIAM-1 infected the murine GI tract similarly to wild-type (WT) Chlamydia muridarum but did not productively infect the lower genital tract of female mice, ascend to infect the upper genital tract, or cause hydrosalpinx. However, GI infection of mice with GIAM-1 elicited a transmucosal immune response that protected against subseq

SUBMITTER: Morrison SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7642681 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature