Manipulation of Host Vesicular Trafficking and Membrane Fusion During Chlamydia Infection

Abstract

Chlamydia infections are associated with a wide range of diseases. C. trachomatis (serovars A, B, Ba and C) causes trachoma, the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness. Serovars D through K are most commonly associated with sexually transmitted diseases and can cause infertility in women if left untreated [Paavonen and Eggert-Kruse, 1999]. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are prevalent in every society in the world, including in developed countries (United States Centers for Disease Control [CDC]). Therefore, they represent a serious public health concern. Public programs aimed at increasing people’s awareness of the risks these pathogens pose have helped in controlling the spread of disease. Nevertheless, Chlamydia is still the most frequently reported STD in the United States. In 2009, 1.2 million new cases of Chlamydia infections were reported in the United States alone, but the actual number of infections is estimated to be higher due to a large number of unreported cases (CDC). Vaccination is the gold standard for disease prevention, but despite years of research, no vaccines exist for bacterial STDs. The typical course of treatment for Chlamydia infections involves the use of antibiotics, but there is emerging evidence that non-specific antibacterial agents can cause lasting damage to an individual by adversely affecting the homeostasis of the microbiota, which is the collection of bacteria that positively affect normal human functioning [Stewardson et al., 2011].