Immune Protection Against Chlamydia trachomatis in Females.
Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol 1996;
4:163-70. [PMID:
18476089 PMCID:
PMC2364487 DOI:
10.1155/s106474499600035x]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/1996] [Accepted: 10/01/1996] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite significant advances in our understanding of the biology and antigenic structure of
Chlamydia trachomatis, and the epidemiology and clinical spectrum of chlamydial disease, the magnitude of
morbidity from human chlamydial infections remains an important public health concern. Control
of chlamydial disease will likely depend on a multidisciplinary approach, including the development
of immunoprophylactic or immunotherapeutic strategies. Reasonable progress has been made in
understanding specific immune mechanisms that contribute to host immunity in experimental models
of chlamydial infection. However, studies of human immunity have not been so successful. This
is particularly evident in that studies to address the development and role of mucosal immune
responses to urogenital chlamydial infections have not been forthcoming. The following review is
a brief summary of our current knowledge of protective immunity to chlamydial urogenital infections
of females. It is not meant to be exhaustive, but instead to touch upon aspects of protective immunity
that have been described in both human and experimental animal models of chlamydial
infection.
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