Studies on Lymphogranuloma Venereum

Abstract

The association of a toxin or toxic factor with a Virus has never been demonstrated although it may have been suspected. In fact, under most circumstances it is difficult to devise experiments which would demonstrate clearly the occurrence of a toxin in association with these agents since both would be of small size and usually of labile nature. Thus, ff all possible sources of confusion were controlled, a positive result would be of great value but a negative one would be without significance.For many reasons it has been suspected in this laboratory that the agent of lymphogranuloma venereum, and the other agents which have been shown to be closely allied to it (1-5) should be separated from the true viruses and established in a group by themselves, comparable to the R i c k e t t~ for example (6). It had also been suspected that the agent of lymphogranuloma venereum at least, with which we have had most experience, produces a toxin. In the acute form of generalized infection with this latter agent in man, chills, severe headache, and marked prostration occur and the whole picture suggests a toxemia (7,8). Furthermore, in the laboratory, the convulsive deaths occuring in mice within 30 hours after intracerebral infection (9) are difficult to account for by the lesions present in the meninges, and the cause of death in the chick embryo after infection of the yolk sac has always seemed due possibly to toxemia since the agent does not invade the embryo to any marked extent (10), and careful studies have shown that no significant disturbance of nutrition results from the infection of the yolk ceils (11).The work of Gildemeister and Haagen (12) on the toxin associated with Rickettsia mooseri grown in the yolk sac of the chick embryo stimulated anew our interest in this problem. These authors found that suspensions of yolk sacs heavily infected with R. mooseri, when suspended in Ringer's solution, were lethal for mice. Following intraperitoneal inoculation of 0.5 to 1.0 ml. of such suspensions the mice died in 4 to 48 hours, often with convulsions. Smaller amounts were less active and illtracerebral or subcutaneous inoculation was less effective than intraperitoneal. The toxic substance was very labile and could not be demonstrated after the suspensions had been treated in any manner which killed the Rickettsiae. Serum from individuals who had 463

Chlamydia trachomatis cytotoxicity associated with complete and partial cytotoxin genes

“…The association of a toxin activity with chlamydial EBs was described 50 years ago (13), but a toxin has not been identified. Several toxin-like genes were identified in the genomes of sequenced chlamydial strains (6,7).…”

“…A report of chlamydial toxic activity was published more than 50 years ago by Rake and Jones (13). These investigators speculated that the putative toxin was an important virulence factor in chlamydial pathogenesis.…”

Lysosomes and the "toxicity" of Rickettsiales. I. Cytochemical studies of macrophages inoculated in vitro with C. psittaci 6BC

“…(TE) that is not connected with the replication Several species of Chlanlydia have been shown to produce a toxic effect on intact animals, as well as on specific tissues and cells; this effect is analogous to that produced by several species of Rickettsiae (26,33), and the factor producing the effect has been called a "toxin" (16). Many serious attempts over the years to identify a toxin have failed and the mechanism of this injurious effect remains to be established.…”

Lysosomes in L cells infected with Chlamydia psittaci 6BC strain

“…It has been postulated that a toxic factor may play a role in severe chlamydial diseases in man, animals, and birds (19). Rake and Jones demonstrated that some chlamydia1 strains produce a toxic effect in mice and chick embryos (25). More recently, evidence has been presented that the toxic factor is closely associated with the elementary bodies (E.B.)…”