Role of T lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of Chlamydia disease.
Vaccines are needed to prevent the oculogenital diseases of Chlamydia trachomatis. Infected hosts develop immunity, although temporary, and experimental vaccines have yielded significant protective immunity in animal models, fueling the impetus for a vaccine. Because infections cause sequelae, the functional relationship between infection- and vaccine-induced immunity is unclear. We hypothesized that infection- and vaccine-induced immunity are functionally distinct, particularly in the ability to prevent sequelae. Chlamydia-immune mice, with immunity generated by either a previous infection or vaccination, exhibited a significant degree of protective immunity, marked by a lower-intensity, abbreviated course of infection. However, vaccinated mice were protected from infertility, whereas preinfected mice were not. Thus, infection-induced immunity does not prevent the pathologic process leading to infertility. Furthermore, T cell subsets, especially CD8 T cells, play a major role in Chlamydia-induced infertility. The results have important implications for the immunopathogenesis of chlamydial disease and new vaccine strategies.
Igietseme
Joseph U
JU
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. jigietseme@cdc.gov
He
Qing
Q
Joseph
Kahaliah
K
Eko
Francis O
FO
Lyn
Deborah
D
Ananaba
Godwin
G
Campbell
Angela
A
Bandea
Claudiu
C
Black
Carolyn M
CM
D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000502:physiology*
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D016753:Interleukin-10