MYCOPLASMA GENITALIUM SALPINGEAL INFECTION PILOT

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中的一个 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 生殖支原体是一种新认识的男性和女性生殖道疾病的原因。 与这种微生物相关的并发症包括尿道炎、粘液脓性宫颈炎、盆腔炎和尿道炎，可能的后遗症包括不孕症、慢性盆腔疼痛和早产。不幸的是，一个合适的动物模型是不可用的，以研究这种生物体感染的发病机制和免疫生物学，并最终制定干预策略，以减少与这些疾病相关的发病率的影响。 因此，我们建议评估M的能力。生殖器感染，持续存在，并诱导猕猴nemestrina的免疫反应，并逃避这种免疫反应的基因变异，其表面暴露的免疫显性蛋白。 为此，我们建议评估M。生殖器感染的成熟输卵管袋和宫颈感染模型由多萝西巴顿博士开发的其他生殖道病原体。 除了在这两个地点监测这种生物的存活和生长外，我们还将评估M.生殖器对感染的反应。我们预计，在这个试点项目中获得的结果将作为有价值的初步数据，支持抗原变异在这种生物体的持久性中的作用，为未来评估这种新兴病原体的免疫发病机制的拨款申请提供强有力的初步数据。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Mycoplasma genitalium is a newly recognized cause of reproductive tract disease in men and women. Syndromes associated with this organism include urethritis, mucopurulent cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and endometritis, with possible sequelae that include infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and preterm birth. Unfortunately, a suitable animal model is not available to study the pathogenesis and immunobiology of infection with this organism and ultimately to devise intervention strategies to reduce the impact of the morbidity associated with these diseases. We thus propose to evaluate the ability of M. genitalium to infect, persist, and induce an immune response in Macaca nemestrina, and evade this immune response by variation in genes for its surface-exposed immunodominant proteins. To this end, we propose to assess M. genitalium infection in the well-established salpingeal pocket and cervical infection model developed by Dr. Dorothy Patton for other reproductive tract pathogens. In addition to monitoring survival and growth of this organism in these two sites, we will assess development of genome sequence changes in M. genitalium in response to infection. We anticipate that the results obtained in this pilot project will serve as valuable preliminary data supporting the role of antigenic variation in persistence of this organism, providing powerful preliminary data for future grant proposals assessing the immunopathogenesis of this emerging pathogen.