IMMUNITY TO CHLAMYDIAL GENITAL INFECTION

描述（改编自申请人摘要）：生殖道 专性细胞内细菌病原体衣原体感染 沙眼引起许多临床上不同的综合征， 从急性自限性感染到慢性疾病， 不孕 衣原体疾病的控制可能取决于 多学科方法，包括免疫预防的发展 或免疫策略。 因为衣原体感染，复制和 在粘膜部位引起疾病，了解其重要性， 在宿主免疫中需要粘膜免疫应答的特征。 的 长期目标是详细了解粘膜免疫 生殖道衣原体感染的免疫反应。 的 本项目的目标是使用衣原体生殖道的小鼠模型 感染开始表征粘膜免疫应答， 这可能有助于免疫保护。 这个目标将是 通过3个具体目标实现：1）T和B细胞亚群， 在感染过程中主要存在于局部生殖道组织中 将使用免疫组织学和细胞因子进行鉴定和表征 （ELISPOT）检测方法。 2)Th 1和Th 2型的作用 辅助T细胞在感染消退中的反应将使用 用细胞因子和抗细胞因子抗体进行体内治疗。 第三章 基因的免疫球蛋白缺陷和干扰素-γ缺陷菌株 基因敲除小鼠将用于进一步表征 生殖道衣原体抗体和细胞介导的免疫应答 感染 这些研究的结果将大大有助于我们 对获得性免疫缺陷综合征中粘膜免疫反应功能的认识 对衣原体生殖道感染免疫。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the applicant's abstract): Genital tract infections with the obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis cause a number of clinically distinct syndromes ranging from acute self-limiting infection to chronic conditions that can result in infertility. Control of chlamydial disease will likely depend on a multidisciplinary approach, including the development of immunoprophylactic or immunotherapeutic strategies. Because chlamydiae infect, replicate and cause disease at mucosal sites, an understanding of the importance and characteristics of mucosal immune responses in host immunity is needed. The long range goal is to obtain a detailed understanding of mucosal immune responses that confer immunity to chlamydial genital tract infection. The goal of this project is to use the murine model of chlamydial genital tract infection to begin to characterize mucosal immune responses that are elicited and which may contribute to immune protection. That goal will be achieved through 3 specific aims: 1) T and B cell subpopulations that predominate in local genital tract tissue during the course of infection will be identified and characterized using immunohistological and cytokine (ELISPOT) detection methodologies. 2) The role (s) of Th1 and Th2 type helper T cell responses in the resolution of infection will be defined using in vivo treatments with cytokines and anti-cytokine antibodies. 3) Immunoglobulin-deficient and interferon-gamma-deficient strains of gene knockout mice will be used to further characterize the importance of antibody and cell mediated responses in immunity to chlamydial genital tract infection. Results from these studies will contribute significantly to our understanding of the function of mucosal immune responses in acquired immunity to chlamydial genital tract infection.