ICL 2.15: Chlamydia Flashcards
what is the microbiology of chlamydiaceae?
gram (-) with unique lPS but no PG
possess inner and outer membranes
contain both DNA and RNA and prokaryotic ribosomes
they synthesize their own proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids –> obligate intracellular parasites; they’re ATP parasites!!
what are the general characteristics of chalmydiaceae?
direct destruction of host cells after replication
pretty nontoxic, highly invasive and causes damage from immune system
what’s the developmental cycle of chlamydiaceae?
elementary bodies (EB) = infectious forms that are metabolically inactive
reticulate bodies (RB) = noninfectious forms that are metabolically active
which disease syndromes is chlamydia trachomatis responsible for?
trachoma biovariant
1. trachoma
- conjunctivitis
urogenital biovariant
1. STDS = urethritis, epididymitis, prostatitis, proctitis, cervicitis, endometritis, salpingitis, PID, ectopic pregnancy, infertility arthritis, infant conjunctivitis, and pneumonia
LGV biovariant
1. lymphogranuloma venereum
which disease syndromes is chlamydophila pneumoniae responsible for?
- Pneumonia
- upper respiratory
disease - cardiovascular disease
- arthritis
which disease syndromes is chlamydophila psittaci responsible for?
- psittacosis
- abortion
- heart tissue damage
- arthritis
what two genera has Chalmydia been split into?
- chlamydia
ex. chlamydia trachomatis - chlamydophila
what is the cell wall of chlamydiaceae like?
their cell wall resembles the cell wall of Gram (-) bacteria with a relatively high lipid content so the gram stain isn’t useful for identifying this organism
instead use Giemsa stain or immunofluorescence
also the cell wall does NOT contain PG but does have penicillin binding proteins (PBP) – this means that cell wall formation is inhibited by penicillins and related B-lactams
however, B-lactam antibiotics are NOT a suitable treatment for Chlamydial infections
why don’t B lactams work as treatment for Chlamydia?
chlamydia is an obligate parasite and beta lactams can’t enter our cells, so that would be completely ineffective
chlamydiae are intracellular and neither penicillins nor cephalosporins penetrate human cells adequately
also chlamydia doesn’t have peptidoglycan and beta lactams stop transpeptidase from cross linking peptidoglycan so no peptidoglycan means beta lactams can’t do anything!!
which disease is often present at the same time as chlamydia?
about 45% of the cases of gonorrhea have coexisting chlamydial infections
so the recommended treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea is the administration of both a cephalosporin for the gonococcus and a tetracycline for the chlamydiae
which chlamydia disease is a major cause of urogenital disease?
chlamydia trachomatis
what does untreated chlamydia lead to?
if left untreated, infection can ascend the endometrial epithelium to the fallopian tubes
severe reproductive complications:
- PID
PID can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes, sterility, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or chronic pelvic pain
- 70% of tubal-factor infertility
- 35% of cases of ectopic pregnancy
it can also have adverse outcomes during pregnancy like conjunctivitis or passing the infection to the infant
what part of the US most prevlalent?
the south = louisiana, georgia, alabama, etc.
are men or women more likely to have chlamydia?
black women
what does the prevalence of chlamydia depend on?
prevalence is probably actually declining
the actual prevalence of chlamydia depends on the characteristics of the population studied
young age is the factor that is most strongly associated with infection
what are the risk factors for chlamydia?
- multiple sexual partners
- new sexual partner
- unmarried
- black race
- history of or coexistent sexually transmitted infection
- cervical ectopy
- inconsistent use of barrier contraceptive methods
what is cervical ectopy?
Cervical ectopywhen the columnar cells of the endocervix extend beyond the external os onto the vaginal surface, the cervix has a red velvety appearance
as the endocervical epithelium is thinner than squamous epithelium, the more vascular endocervical stroma is seen in the underlying stroma
this is called an ectopy or often referred to incorrectly as erosion
how is chlamydia transmitted?
mainly during vaginal or anal sex
also possible through oral sex
which cells does chlamydia infect?
it initially infects the single-cell columnar epithelial layers of the endocervix of women and the urethra for men
then it multiplies and spreads to surrounding tissues which leads to inflammation, redness, oedema and discharge
what are the symptoms of chlamydia?
- inflammation
- redness
- edema
- discharge
- mucopurulent cervicitis
- non-gonococcal urethritis
however these conditions are often subclinical
infections may also be asymptomatic with burning during urination or an unusual discharge being the only symptom – this is super dangerous!!
what % of chlamydia infections are asymptomatic?
≥75% of infected women
25%-50% of men
infected men are more likely to (at least) experience burning during urination
how does chalmydia trachomatis infect the female genital tract?
Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies infect the columnar epithelial cells of the cervix, which often causes few or no clinical symptoms
but the bacteria can ascend to infect the endometrium and the fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease, tubal inflammation (also known as salpingitis), scarring and occlusion, which can lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy
the inflammatory reaction is characterized by an influx of macrophages and neutrophils and the formation of immune inductive sites in the submucosa