Susceptibility of different serovars of Chlamydia trachomatis to inactivation by normal human serum

Abstract

The ability of a panel of normal human serum samples to inactivate 12 strains of Chlamydia trachomatis, each of a different serovar, was investigated. A wide range of antichlamydial activity was observed, with survival rates of C trachomatis varying from <1% in some experiments to 100% in others. The strain specificity of the anti-chlamydial activity exhibited by individual serum samples was not, however, related to the antigenic cross reactivity between serovars demonstrable by microimmunofluorescence testing, which suggested that type-specific antigens were not predominantly involved in the inactivation process.