Chlamydia trachomatis

Chlamydia trachomatis
	; C. trachomatis inclusion bodies (brown) in a McCoy cell culture.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Bacteria;
Phylum:	Chlamydiae;
Order:	Chlamydiales;
Family:	Chlamydiaceae;
Genus:	Chlamydia;
Species:	C. trachomatis;
Binomial name
	Chlamydia trachomatis; Busacca, 1935

Chlamydia trachomatis is one of three bacterial species in the genus Chlamydia, family Chlamydiaceae, class Chlamydiae, phylum Chlamydiae, domain Bacteria. C. trachomatis has only been found living inside the cells of humans, causing the following conditions:

In men

In women

Cervicitis
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Premature birth
Ectopic pregnancy
Pelvic pain, chronic or acute
Newborn eye (trachoma) or lung infection

In both sexes

C. trachomatis has also been detected in some patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease. It may be treated with any of several antibiotics: azithromycin, erythromycin or doxycycline/tetracycline.

C. trachomatis was the first chlamydial agent discovered in humans. It comprises two human biovars: trachoma and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV). Many, but not all, C. trachomatis strains have an extrachromosomal plasmid. Chlamydia species are readily identified and distinguished from other chlamydial species using DNA-based tests. Most strains of C. trachomatis are recognized by monoclonal antibodies [mAbs] to epitopes in the VS4 region of MOMP. However, these mAbs may also crossreact with the other two Chlamydia species, Chlamydia suis and Chlamydia muridarum.

Gallery

Photomicrograph of Chlamydia trachomatis taken from a urethral scrape. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[1]
McCoy cell monolayers with Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion bodies (200X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[1]
McCoy cell monolayers with Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion bodies (50X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[1]
Photomicrograph depicts HeLa cells infected with Type-A Chlamydia trachomatis (400X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[1]
Patient’s left eye with the upper lid retracted in order to reveal the inflamed conjunctival membrane lining the inside of both the upper and lower lids, due to what was determined to be a case of inclusion conjunctivitis caused by the bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). ^[1]