Viability assessment of Chlamydia trachomatis in men who have sex with men using molecular and culture methods.

Objectives: Chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly diagnosed bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. Diagnosis relies on nucleic acid amplification techniques, such as PCR, which does not distinguish between viable pathogens and residual bacterial DNA, leading to potential overdiagnosis and overtreatment. PCR with confirmation of pathogen viability has not been widely explored in the STI field.

Coinfection during Genital Latency Does Not Modulate Murine Vaginal Bacterial Shedding.

Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are the most frequently reported agents of bacterial sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Nonetheless, C. trachomatis/N.

Beta lactamase-producing alleviates Amoxicillin-induced chlamydial persistence in a novel in vitro co-infection model.

(CT) (NG) cause most bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide. Epidemiological studies have shown high percentages of co-infections with CT/NG and indicate that NG co-infection can reactivate CT shedding during persistent chlamydial infection. These data also suggest that biological interaction between the two bacteria may increase susceptibility or transmissibility.

Refinement of water-filtered infrared A (wIRA) irradiations of in vitro acute and persistent chlamydial infections.

Water-filtered infrared A (wIRA) alone or in combination with visible light (VIS) exerts anti-chlamydial effects in vitro and in vivo in acute infection models. However, it has remained unclear whether reduced irradiation duration and irradiance would still maintain anti-chlamydial efficacy. Furthermore, efficacy of this non-chemical treatment option against persistent (chronic) chlamydial infections has not been investigated to date.

Limits Inclusion Development and Infectivity in a Novel Co-Infection Model.

(Ct) and (Ng) are the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide. The primary site of infection for both bacteria is the epithelium of the endocervix in women and the urethra in men; both can also infect the rectum, pharynx and conjunctiva. Ct/Ng co-infections are more common than expected by chance, suggesting Ct/Ng interactions increase susceptibility and/or transmissibility.

Chlamydia suis is associated with intestinal NF-κB activation in experimentally infected gnotobiotic piglets.

Chlamydia suis intestinal infection of single-animal experimental groups of gnotobiotic newborn piglets was previously reported to cause severe, temporary small intestinal epithelium damage. We investigated archived intestinal samples for pro-inflammatory nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation, Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 production and immune cell influx. Samples were collected 2, 4 and 7 days post-inoculation with C.

Water Filtered Infrared A and Visible Light (wIRA/VIS) Irradiation Reduces Infectivity Independent of Targeted Cytokine Inhibition.

is the major cause of infectious blindness and represents the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Considering the potential side effects of antibiotic therapy and increasing threat of antibiotic resistance, alternative therapeutic strategies are needed. Previous studies showed that water filtered infrared A alone (wIRA) or in combination with visible light (wIRA/VIS) reduced infectivity.

Evaluating the Antibiotic Susceptibility of - New Approaches for Assays.

Pigs are the natural hosts of , the only species known to spontaneously acquire homotypic resistance conferred by a class C tetracycline resistance gene. Various susceptibility assays have existed for several years, but there is no widely accepted, standardized assay to determine chlamydial antibiotic susceptibility. In this study, we developed new approaches to determine the susceptibility of to different antibiotics in view of existing protocols.

Novel Chlamydia species isolated from snakes are temperature-sensitive and exhibit decreased susceptibility to azithromycin.

Chlamydia species have recently been recognized as emerging pathogens in snakes. However, isolation of novel snake chlamydiae is critical and their growth characteristics are largely unknown. In this study, two novel chlamydial species are described: Chlamydia serpentis and Chlamydia poikilothermis, isolated after attempts on 23 cloacal and choanal swabs from 18 PCR-positive captive snakes originating from different Swiss snake collections.

Role of host cell integrins in the microsporidium Encephalitozoon intestinalis adherence and infection in vitro.

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular, spore-forming, fungal-related pathogens that employ a unique organelle, the polar tube, to transfer infectious spore contents into host cells to initiate infection. Spore adherence to host cells may provide the proximity required for polar tube/host cell interaction during in vivo infection. In previous in vitro studies, host sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) or recombinant microsporidia endospore protein (EnP1) was implicated in the pathogen adherence and infection process; however, complete ablation of spore adherence and infection could not be achieved, suggesting that additional or alternative spore and host cell determinants of adherence and infection may exist.

Productive and Penicillin-Stressed Infection Induces Nuclear Factor Kappa B Activation and Interleukin-6 Secretion .

Nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) is an inflammatory transcription factor that plays an important role in the host immune response to infection. The potential for chlamydiae to activate NFκB has been an area of interest, however most work has focused on chlamydiae impacting human health. Given that inflammation characteristic of chlamydial infection may be associated with severe disease outcomes or contribute to poor overall fitness in farmed animals, we evaluated the ability of porcine chlamydiae to induce NFκB activation .

Water-filtered infrared A reduces chlamydial infectivity in vitro without causing ex vivo eye damage in pig and mouse models.

Repeated ocular infections with Chlamydia trachomatis trigger the development of trachoma, the most common cause of infectious blindness worldwide. Water-filtered infrared A (wIRA) has shown positive effects on cultured cells and human skin. Our aim was to evaluate the potential of wIRA as a possible non-chemical treatment for trachoma patients.

18S Ribosomal RNA Evaluation as Preanalytical Quality Control for Animal DNA.

The 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene is present in all eukaryotic cells. In this study, we evaluated the use of this gene to verify the presence of PCR-amplifiable host (animal) DNA as an indicator of sufficient sample quality for quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis. We compared (i) samples from various animal species, tissues, and sample types, including swabs; (ii) multiple DNA extraction methods; and (iii) both fresh and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples.

Chlamydial Antibiotic Resistance and Treatment Failure in Veterinary and Human Medicine.

The are widespread pathogens of both humans and animals. infection causes blinding trachoma and reproductive complications in humans. causes human respiratory tract infections and atypical pneumonia.

Penicillin G-Induced Chlamydial Stress Response in a Porcine Strain of Chlamydia pecorum.

Chlamydia pecorum causes asymptomatic infection and pathology in ruminants, pigs, and koalas. We characterized the antichlamydial effect of the beta lactam penicillin G on Chlamydia pecorum strain 1710S (porcine abortion isolate). Penicillin-exposed and mock-exposed infected host cells showed equivalent inclusions numbers.

Damage/Danger Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) Modulate Chlamydia pecorum and C. trachomatis Serovar E Inclusion Development In Vitro.

Persistence, more recently termed the chlamydial stress response, is a viable but non-infectious state constituting a divergence from the characteristic chlamydial biphasic developmental cycle. Damage/danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are normal intracellular components or metabolites that, when released from cells, signal cellular damage/lysis. Purine metabolite DAMPs, including extracellular ATP and adenosine, inhibit chlamydial development in a species-specific manner.

Encephalitozoon intestinalis infection increases host cell mutation frequency.

Background: Microsporidia are obligate intracellular opportunistic fungi that cause significant pathology in immunocompromised hosts. However, 11 percent of immunocompetent individuals in the general population are microsporidia-seropositive, indicating that severe immune suppression may not be a prerequisite for infection. Encephalitozoon intestinalis is transmitted in contaminated water and initially infects gastro-intestinal enterocytes, leading to diarrheal disease.

Random Mutagenesis of the Aspergillus oryzae Genome Results in Fungal Antibacterial Activity.

Multidrug-resistant bacteria cause severe infections in hospitals and communities. Development of new drugs to combat resistant microorganisms is needed. Natural products of microbial origin are the source of most currently available antibiotics.

Expression and Localization of an Hsp70 Protein in the Microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi.

Microsporidia spore surface proteins are an important, under investigated aspect of spore/host cell attachment and infection. For comparison analysis of surface proteins, we required an antibody control specific for an intracellular protein. An endoplasmic reticulum-associated heat shock protein 70 family member (Hsp70; ECU02_0100; "C1") was chosen for further analysis.