Chlamydia trachomatis, the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases in developed countries, with around 127 million new cases per year, is mainly responsible for urethritis and ...cervicitis in women, and urethritis and epididymitis in men. Most C. trachomatis infections remain asymptomatic (>50%) and, hence, untreated, leading to severe reproductive complications in both women and men, like infertility. Therefore, the detection of C. trachomatis as well as the antimicrobial susceptibility testing becomes a priority, and, along the years, several methods have been recommended, like cell culture and direct immunofluorescence (DFA) on cell cultures. Herein, we described the application of In-Cell Western assay (ICW) via Odyssey CLx as a fast, more accessible, and high-throughput platform for the quantification of C. trachomatis and the screening of anti-chlamydial drugs. As a first step, we set up a standard curve by infecting cell monolayers with 2-fold serial dilutions of C. trachomatis Elementary Body (EB) suspension. Then, different unknown C. trachomatis EB suspensions were quantified and the chlamydial susceptibility testing to erythromycin was performed, using the DFA as comparison. Our results showed a very high concordance between these two assays, as evidenced by the enumeration of chlamydial IFUs as well as the determination of erythromycin Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). In conclusion, the ICW assay may be a promising candidate as an accurate and accessible methodology for C. trachomatis antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Several studies have attempted to relate the C. pneumoniae-mediated inflammatory state with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, providing inconsistent results. Therefore, we performed a ...meta-analysis to clarify whether C. pneumoniae may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis by enhancing inflammation. 12 case-control, 6 cross-sectional, and 7 prospective studies with a total of 10,176 patients have been included in this meta-analysis. Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval was used to assess the seroprevalence of C. pneumoniae and differences between levels of inflammatory markers were assessed by standard mean differences. Publication bias was performed to ensure the statistical power. hsCRP, fibrinogen, interleukin- (IL-) 6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ showed a significant increase in patients with atherosclerosis compared to healthy controls ( P < 0.05 ), along with a higher seroprevalence of C. pneumoniae (OR of 3.11, 95% CI: 2.88–3.36, P < 0.001 ). More interestingly, hsCRP, IL-6, and fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in C. pneumoniae IgA seropositive compared to seronegative atherosclerotic patients ( P < 0.0001 ). In conclusion, the present meta-analysis suggests that C. pneumoniae infection may contribute to atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases by enhancing the inflammatory state, and, in particular, seropositivity to C. pneumoniae IgA, together with hsCRP, fibrinogen, and IL-6, may be predictive of atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk.
Abstract Increasing evidence indicates that abnormal vaginal flora lacking lactobacilli facilitates the acquisition of several sexually transmitted diseases including Chlamydia trachomatis. C. ...trachomatis , the most common bacterial agent of genital infections worldwide, can progress from the lower to upper reproductive tract and induce severe sequelae. The ability of C. trachomatis to develop into a persistent form has been suggested as key pathogenetic mechanism underlying chronic infections and sequelae. The aim of our study was to investigate the C. trachomatis interaction with vaginal microbiota analyzing the effects of Lactobacillu s strains ( L. brevis and L. salivarius ) on the different phases of C. trachomatis developmental cycle. In addition, the effect of lactobacilli on persistent chlamydial forms induced by HSV-2 coinfection has also been evaluated. Our results demonstrated significant inhibition of C. trachomatis multiplication by vaginal lactobacilli. L. brevis was significantly more effective than L. salivarius ( p < 0.05) on all the steps of chlamydial infection cycle suggesting that the ability of lactobacilli to protect from infection is strain-dependent. Lactobacilli had an adverse effect on elementary chlamydial bodies ( p < 0.05), on chlamydial adsorption to epithelial cells ( p < 0.001) and on intracellular phases of chlamydial replication ( p < 0.0001). Our study also demonstrated a protective effect of lactobacilli toward persistent C. trachomatis forms induced by HSV-2 coinfection. A significant increase in the production of C. trachomatis infectious progeny was observed in C. trachomatis /HSV-2 coinfection in the presence of L. brevis ( p = 0.01) despite a significant inhibition of C. trachomatis multiplication ( p = 0.028). Our data suggest that a healthy vaginal microbiota can reduce the risk of acquiring C. trachomatis infection and counteract the development of persistent chlamydial forms.
HPV and Chlamydia trachomatis are the most common causes of sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. Most infections are asymptomatic and left untreated lead to severe reproductive tract sequelae ...such as cervical cancer and infertility. Interestingly, C. trachomatis may also increase the susceptibility to HPV infection as well as contribute to viral persistence. Recently, a growing body of evidence has suggested that the composition of the cervico-vaginal microbiota plays a key role in the susceptibility and outcome of genital infections caused by several pathogens, including HPV and C. trachomatis. The aim of our study was to undertake a metagenomic analysis of sequenced 16s rRNA gene amplicons to characterize the cervical microbiota from asymptomatic women with HPV/C. trachomatis co-infection. The composition of the cervical microbiota from HPV-positive or C. trachomatis-positive women was also analysed. The main finding of our study showed that the cervical microbiota in HPV/C. trachomatis co-infected women had a higher microbial diversity than the cervical microbiota in healthy controls (p<0.05). In addition, Aerococcus christensenii was associated with C. trachomatis infection. In conclusion, the increased cervical microbial diversity observed in HPV/C. trachomatis co-infected women and the detection of potential microbiological biomarkers of C. trachomatis infection will open the way to innovative approaches that may be helpful to identify women at risk of co-infection.
•The possibility of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is still debated.•Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 vertical transmission in a twin-pregnant woman.•The viral genome was found in the umbilical cord blood ...of both twins.•Placental histologic examination confirmed indirect signs of viral infection.
SARS-CoV-2 has affected millions of people around the world in recent years. Among susceptible patients, pregnant women seem to be prone to serious complications. The possibility of SARS-CoV-2 vertical transmission represents one of the most debated topics in the literature, providing inconclusive results. We present a case of a confirmed vertical transmission in a monochorial diamniotic twin pregnancy complicated by a selective intrauterine growth restriction and gestational diabetes mellitus. The analysis of different biological specimens identifies the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 genome in the umbilical cord blood of both twins, and the placental histologic examination confirmed indirect signs of viral infection, supporting the hypothesis that a transplacental infection can occur. Despite the devastating impact that SARS-CoV-2 has worldwide, neonatal infections have been infrequently reported, but they can occur under certain biologic conditions. Deep knowledge of the biological mechanisms underlying the risk of SARS-CoV-2 vertical transmission might be useful to understand the pathophysiological bases and the possible long-term implication of a mother-to-child vertical transmission.
In the female genital ecosystem, the complex interplay between the host immune system and the resident microflora protects against urogenital pathogens, like
is responsible for urethritis and ...cervicitis; however, most chlamydial infections are asymptomatic and, thus, not treated, potentially leading to severe reproductive sequelae. Here we investigated the interaction between the levels of selected immune mediators and the community state types of the cervical microbiota in
-infected women. Cervical samples from 42
-positive women and 103 matched healthy controls were analyzed through the metagenomic analysis of the hypervariable region v4 of the 16S rRNA gene and the determination of lactoferrin, interleukin 1α (IL-1α), IL-6, alpha interferon (IFN-α), IFN-β, and IFN-γ by ELISA. Overall,
infection was significantly associated with a microbiota dominated by anaerobic bacteria (
= 0.000002). In addition, a network of
,
,
,
,
, and
has been identified as a potential biomarker of
infection through multiple statistical approaches. Again, chlamydial infection was significantly correlated with an increased production of lactoferrin, IL-6, IL-1α, IFN-α, and IFN-β (
< 0.05), whereas very low levels of IFN-γ were observed in
-infected women, levels similar to those detected in healthy women. Our findings show a distinctive signature of
genital infection, characterized by a specific bacterial network, constituted by anaerobes, as well as by increased levels of lactoferrin and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-6, IFN-α, and IFN-β), accompanied by low levels of IFN-γ.
To our knowledge, this is the first study that investigated the association of
with the cervical levels of lactoferrin and selected inflammatory mediators and their correlation with the different community state types characterizing the female genital ecosystem.
, known as the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases, continues to be an important public health problem worldwide for its increasing incidence and the risk of developing severe reproductive sequelae, like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Specifically,
tend to persist in the female genital tract, leading to a chronic inflammatory state characterized by increased production of immune mediators responsible for tissue damage. Therefore, our study may help to broaden the knowledge on the complex interplay between the female genital microbiota and the host immune system in response to
infection.
Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global public health threat, as approximately 700,000 deaths annually can be attributed to antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, and this figure is expected ...to reach 10 million deaths/year by 2050, a number that greatly exceeds the number of deaths resulting from cancer ....
Chlamydia pneumoniae, an obligate intracellular pathogen, is known as a leading cause of respiratory tract infections and, in the last two decades, has been widely associated with atherosclerosis by ...seroepidemiological studies, and direct detection of the microorganism within atheroma. C. pneumoniae is presumed to play a role in atherosclerosis for its ability to disseminate via peripheral blood mononuclear cells, to replicate and persist within vascular cells, and for its pro-inflammatory and angiogenic effects. Once inside the vascular tissue, C. pneumoniae infection has been shown to induce the production of reactive oxygen species in all the cells involved in atherosclerotic process such as macrophages, platelets, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells, leading to oxidative stress. The aim of this review is to summarize the data linking C. pneumoniae-induced oxidative stress to atherosclerotic lesion development.
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted infections worldwide and has been associated with male infertility. Recently, it was hypothesized that Ct may infect ...the epithelium of the seminiferous tubule, formed by Sertoli cells, thus leading to impaired spermatogenesis. To date, there is a lack of data on Ct infection of the seminiferous epithelium; therefore, we aimed to characterize, for the first time, an in vitro infection model of primary human Sertoli cells. We compared Ct inclusion size, morphology and growth kinetics with those in McCoy cells and we studied F-actin fibres, Vimentin-based intermediate filaments and α-tubulin microtubules in Sertoli and McCoy cells. Our main finding highlighted the ability of Ct to infect Sertoli cells, although with a unique growth profile and the inability to exit host cells. Furthermore, we observed alterations in the cytoskeletal fibres of infected Sertoli cells. Our results suggest that Ct struggles to generate a productive infection in Sertoli cells, limiting its dissemination in the host. Nevertheless, the adverse effect on the cytoskeleton supports the notion that Ct may compromise the blood-testis barrier, impairing spermatogenesis.
, an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium, is characterized by a wide range of different serotypes responsible for several local or systemic human diseases, including genital tract ...manifestations (D-K), trachoma (A-C), and lymphogranuloma venereum (L1-3) ....
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