title: A re-evaluation of the role of B cells in protective immunity to Chlamydia infection.
abstract: Chlamydia trachomatis is the etiological agent of the most commonly reported bacterial sexual transmitted infection (STI) in North America and Europe. The control of Chlamydia infection is hindered by the asymptomatic nature of initial infection but the consequence of untreated infection seriously threatens the reproductive health of young women. Unfortunately, there is no licensed vaccine for Chlamydia vaccine, in part due to our incomplete understanding of the immune response to Chlamydia urogenital infection. It has been well established that T cell-mediated immunity plays a dominant role in protective immunity against Chlamydia and thus the importance of B cells is somewhat underappreciated. Here, we summarize recent progress on understanding the role of B cells during Chlamydia genital tract infections and discuss how B cells and humoral immunity make an effective contribution to host defense against important intracellular pathogens, including Chlamydia.
authors.affiliation: Center for Comparative Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, United States. Electronic address: lxli@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Lin-Xi
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center for Comparative Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: McSorley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial
keywords: Antibody; B cells; Chlamydia; Intracellular infections