Fluorescent labeling reliably identifies Chlamydia trachomatis in living human endometrial cells and rapidly and accurately quantifies chlamydial inclusion forming units.

Chlamydia replication requires host lipid acquisition, allowing flow cytometry to identify Chlamydia-infected cells that accumulated fluorescent Golgi-specific lipid. Herein, we describe modifications to currently available methods that allow precise differentiation between uninfected and Chlamydia trachomatis-infected human endometrial cells and rapidly and accurately quantify chlamydial inclusion forming units.