title: Diversity of Cervicovaginal Cytokine Response to Incident Chlamydia trachomatis Infection Among a Prospective Cohort of Young Women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Animal, in vitro, and ex vivo studies have identified several cytokines involved in host immunity to genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection. However, in vivo cytokine responses are not well described. Our objectives were to document cervicovaginal cytokine levels and intrawoman cytokine changes during incident CT in a prospective cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  From our prospective cohort, 62 women had incident CT, comprising a CT-negative visit followed by a CT-positive visit. At these visits, cytokine protein levels (IL-6, IL-8, IL-1α, IL-1β, MIP-1α, RANTES, IFN-γ) were measured using cervicovaginal lavages and the MILLIPLEX(™) /Luminex(®) multiplex assay. Quartiles were defined for each cytokine from all 124 visits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the group level, RANTES was higher (P < 0.01) at the CT-positive visit than at baseline, but the other cytokines did not significantly differ. For intrawoman cytokine changes, women with a cytokine level that increased at least one quartile higher (going from baseline to the CT-positive visit) ranged between 26 and 53%. Women with a cytokine level staying in the same quartile ranged between 32 and 48%. Women with a cytokine level that decreased at least one quartile lower ranged between 15 and 37%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intrawoman cervicovaginal cytokine changes during incident CT appear heterogeneous and may reflect differences in natural host immunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Loris Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Yifei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Anna-Barbara
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Moscicki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014621:Vagina / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines
keywords: Adolescent females; Chlamydia trachomatis; cervicovaginal cytokines; mucosal immunity