Experimental infection of the marmoset genital tract with Chlamydia trachomatis.
A strain of Chlamydia trachomatis isolated in McCoy cells from the urethra of a patient suffering from non-gonococcal urethritis was inoculated into the vagina of 8 female marmosets. Chlamydiae were isolated repeatedly for 10-42 days from the lower genital tract of 7 of the marmosets. Six of the infected animals developed an acute inflammatory reaction in the genital tract and chlamydial inclusions in epithelial cells were seen in smears from 2 of them. In addition, each of 6 infected marmosets examined developed humoral antibodies to C. trachomatis. In contrast, 3 control animals inoculated intravaginally with chlamydia-free McCoy cells showed no evidence of chlamydial infection. Since the marmoset is small and easily bred in captivity, it should provide a useful model for studying the mechanisms of chlamydial pathogenicity.
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002144:Callithrix; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000473:pathology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000473:pathology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial