IMMUNOLOGY OF HUMAN CHLAMYDIAL INFECTIONS

沙眼衣原体是一种专性的细胞内细菌病原体 感染眼睛和生殖道粘膜，导致许多 临床上有不同的症状。尽管我们的工作取得了重大进展 了解衣原体的生物学和抗原结构，以及 衣原体病的流行病学和临床谱系 人类衣原体感染的发病率仍然是 重要的公共卫生问题。衣原体疾病的控制将有可能 依靠多学科方法，包括制定 免疫预防或免疫治疗策略。合理进度 已经在理解特定的免疫机制方面取得了进展 在衣原体感染的实验模型中进行宿主免疫。然而， 对人类免疫力的研究就不那么成功了。这是 在处理发展和作用问题研究中尤其明显 对衣原体泌尿生殖道感染的粘膜免疫反应没有 都很坦诚。因为衣原体感染、复制并对 对于粘膜上皮，需要研究以检验其作用 粘膜免疫反应在免疫保护中的作用。这个项目的总体目标是 项目是分析黏膜抗衣原体抗体反应， 在女性和男性生殖道感染后发生。那个目标 将通过3个具体目标来实现。最初的秘密和 全身性抗衣原体抗体反应的特征和 有或没有衣原体生殖道的男性和女性的比较 感染。抗衣原体抗体的亚类特异性 反应将被确定，并与传染性疾病的脱落进行比较 有机体(具体目标#1)。血清和免疫球蛋白的抗原特异性 分泌性抗体反应将通过免疫印迹和 主要免疫球蛋白亚型的抗原特异性将是 确定(具体目标2)。分泌型抗体的功能作用 将使用体外中和试验进行评估。血清和 将比较分泌型中和抗体的反应，并 将测定中和抗体的免疫球蛋白亚类 (具体目标3)。这个项目，它与临床 核心项目(核心B)、项目1(Hook)和项目2(Schwebke)，将 提供有关衣原体生殖器免疫的有用信息 女性和男性的肠道感染。此外，这些研究的结果 可能为设计有效的衣原体疫苗提供洞察力。

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that infects the ocular and genital tract mucosa, to cause a number of clinically distinct syndromes. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the biology and antigenic structure of chlamydiae, 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 chlamydial urogenital infections having not been forthcoming. Because chlamydiae infect, replicate and cause damage to the mucosal epithelium, studies are needed that examine the role of mucosal immune responses in immune protection. The overall goal of this project is to analyze the mucosal anti-chlamydial antibody response that develops following genital tract infection of women and men. That goal will be achieved through 3 specific aims. Initially the secretory and systemic anti-chlamydial antibody responses will be characterized and compared in men and women with-or without chlamydial genital tract infection. The subclass specificity of the anti-chlamydial antibody response will be determined and compared to the shedding of infectious organism (specific aim #1). The antigenic specificity of the serum and secretory antibody responses will be analyzed by immunoblotting and the antigenic specificity of the predominant immunoglobulin isotypes will be determined (specific aim #2). A functional role for secretory antibodies will be evaluated using an in vitro neutralization assay. Serum and secretory neutralizing antibody responses will be compared, and the immunoglobulin subclass of the neutralizing antibodies will be determined (specific aim #3). This project, which is inter-related with the Clinical Core Project (Core B), Project 1 (Hook), and Project 2 (Schwebke), will contribute useful information regarding immunity to chlamydial genital tract infection in women and men. Furthermore, results from these studies may provide insight into the design of an effective chlamydial vaccine.