SummaryChlamydia, an obligate intracellular bacterium which passes its entire lifecycle within a membrane-bound vacuole called the inclusion, has evolved a variety of unique strategies to establish an advantageous intracellular niche for survival. This review highlights the mechanisms by which Chlamydia subverts vesicular transport in host cells, particularly by hijacking the master controllers of eukaryotic trafficking, the Rab proteins. A subset of Rabs and Rab interacting proteins that control the recycling pathway or the biosynthetic route are selectively recruited to the chlamydial inclusion membrane. By interfering with Rabcontrolled transport steps, this intracellular pathogen not only prevents its own degradation in the phagocytic pathway, but also creates a favourable intracellular environment for growth and replication. Chlamydia, a highly adapted and successful intracellular pathogen, has several redundant strategies to re-direct vesicles emerging from biosynthetic compartments that carry host molecules essential for bacterial development. Although current knowledge is limited, the latest findings have shed light on the role of Rab proteins in the course of chlamydial infections and could open novel opportunities for anti-chlamydial therapy.

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the most common agent of bacterial sexually transmitted infections, both in developed and developing countries. It clearly constitutes a major burden on public health. Screening programs and current research are mainly focused on decreasing the high incidence of chlamydial infections as well as their associated morbidity. The greater clinical impact of CT infections occurs in women of reproductive age. Acute CT infections are often associated to urethritis, mucopurulent cervicitis, endometritis, salpingitis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). A vast proportion of CT infections are likely underestimated because of their asymptomatic clinical course. This leads to repeat and chronic infections, which have deleterious impact on the female reproductive health. Among the complications of the CT chronic infections are PID, ectopic pregnancy, preterm birth, tubal obstruction and female infertility, which are of great interest in the reproduction field.