IMMUNITY TO CHLAMYDIAL GENITAL INFECTION

描述(改编自申请人的摘要)：生殖道 专性细胞内细菌病原体衣原体感染 沙眼可引起多种不同的临床症状，包括 急性自限性感染到慢性疾病，可导致 不孕不育。衣原体疾病的控制很可能取决于 多学科方法，包括免疫预防的发展 或免疫治疗策略。因为衣原体感染、复制和 在粘膜部位引起疾病，了解 在宿主免疫中需要了解黏膜免疫反应的特点。这个 长期目标是获得对粘膜免疫的详细了解 对衣原体生殖道感染具有免疫力的反应。这个 该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反应 这可能有助于免疫保护。这一目标将是 通过3个具体目标实现：1)T和B细胞亚群 在感染过程中在局部生殖道组织中占优势 将使用免疫组织学和细胞因子来鉴定和表征 (ELISPOT)检测方法。2)Th1型和Th2型的作用(S) 在解决感染中的辅助T细胞反应将被定义为 用细胞因子和抗细胞因子抗体进行体内治疗。3) 免疫球蛋白缺陷型和干扰素-γ缺陷型 基因敲除小鼠将被用来进一步表征 衣原体生殖道免疫中的抗体和细胞介导性反应 感染。这些研究的结果将对我们的 获得性肠炎黏膜免疫反应功能的研究 对衣原体生殖道感染的免疫力。

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.