CHLAMYDIAE

• Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that infect

humans, animals and birds.
• Cause pneumonia, ocular infections and a broad range
of sexually transmitted infections such as urethritis,
cervicitis, lymphogranuloma venereum and others.
• Survive in an intracellular environment and cannot be
cultured on artificial media.
• Important species: Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia
pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci
Morphology
Chlamydiae occur in two forms:
Elementary body: extracellular and infective form.
Reticulate body(formerly called the 'initial body’): intracellularly growing
and replicative form.
• In the developmental cycle of Chlamydia, the elementary body alternates with
the reticulate body.
• Chlamydiae enter the host cells by phagocytosis as infectious elementary
bodies in a cytoplasmic vacuole.
• During active intracellular growth, the chlamydia- specific lipopolysaccharides
accumulate on the host cell surface.
• This highly antigenic máterial induces inflammatory and immunological
responses which contribute to the pathogenesis of chlamydial diseases.
Growth Cycle
• Infection is initiated by the attachment of the elementary body to the
surface of a susceptible epithelial cell, followed by endocytosis.
• Inside the host cell, the elementary body lies within the endosome
throughout its active growth cycle.
• By about eight hours, the elementary body within the endosome is
converted to a large reticulate body.
• Binary fission starts in 12 hours, and by 20-24 hours, the progeny are
converted to elementary bodies.
• The developing chlamydial microcolony within the host cell is called the
inclusion body.
• The mature inclusion body contains 100-500 elementary bodies, which are
ultimately released from the host cell.
CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS
• C. trachomatis is a leading cause of ocular and genital infections
worldwide.
• Trachoma is a chronic keratoconjunctivitis,
• characterised by follicular hypertrophy, papillary hyperplasia, pannus
formation and in the late stages, cicatrisation.
• The name trachoma is derived from the Greek word trakhus (rough),
referring to the roughness of conjunctiva in the disease.
• Pathogenicity Infection is transmitted to the eyes by fingers or
fomites.
• Flies may transmit the infection mechanically.
Infant Pneumonia
• C. trachomatis can cause pneumonia in infants, usually around 4-16
weeks of age.
• develop prominent respiratory symptoms with cough and wheezing but
fever and toxicity are minimal.
• Conjunctivitis often precedes pneumonia.
Genital Infections
• C. trachomatis causes two types of genital infections
i) Urogenital syndromes
ii) Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV).
• CHLAMYDIA PSITTACI
Psittacosis
• Pittacosis is a disease of parrots (psittacos means parrot) and other
psittacine birds, transmissible to human beings.
• caused by Chlamydophila psittaci.
• Human infections are mostly occupational, as seen in poultry workers,
pigeon farmers, pet shop owners, bird fanciers and veterinarians.
• Infection is by inhalation.
• Rare cases of infection by parrot bite have been reported.
• The high infectivity of psittacosis is indicated by the frequency of
laboratory infections.
• Strains from parrots and turkeys are more virulent than those from
other avian sources.
Pathogenicity
• incubation period is about 10 days.
• Clinical disease varies from a mild influenza-like syndrome to fatal
pneumonia.
• common complications resulting from this infection are the
following:
• Pneumonia (the usual clinical manifestation)
• Septicemia
• Meningoencephalitis
• Endocarditis, pericarditis and arthritis
• Typhoid-like syndrome
 Laboratory Diagnosis
• Four approaches are available for the laboratory diagnosis of
chlamydial infections:
i) Microscopic demonstration of inclusion or elementary
bodies
ii) Isolation of Chlamydia
iii) Demonstration of chlamydial antigen
iv) Demonstration of antibodies or hypersensitivity