The Genus Chlamydia—Medical

Kalayoglu, Murat V.; Byrne, Gerald I.

doi:10.1007/0-387-30747-8_30

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Evidence to implicate this pathogen in atherosclerosis, now appreciated to be an inflammatory disease [18], comes from a variety of epidemiological, pathology-based, animal model, cell biology, and human antibiotic treatment studies [23]. The hallmark of chlamydial infections is their capacity to cause chronic inflammation [18], and persistent C. pneumoniae infections may promote inflammatory age-related diseases other than atherosclerosis. Indeed, AMD, which shares several risk factors with cardiovascular disease, recently was associated with C. pneumoniae by an epidemiological study [20]; a subsequent report supported this association [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of Chlamydia pneumoniae within human choroidal neovascular membranes secondary to age-related macular degeneration

Kalayoglu

Bula

Arroyo

et al. 2005

Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmo

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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, and increasing evidence suggests that it is an inflammatory disease. The prokaryotic obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia pneumoniae is emerging as a novel risk factor in cardiovascular disease, and recent sero-epidemiological data suggest that C. pneumoniae infection is also associated with AMD. In this study, we examined choroidal neovascular membrane (CNV) tissue from patients with neovascular AMD for the presence of C. pneumoniae and determined whether the pathogen can dysregulate the function of key cell types in ways that can cause neovascular AMD. Nine CNV removed from patients with neovascular AMD were examined for the presence of C. pneumoniae by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR); in addition, we performed PCR on nine non-AMD eyes, and IHC on five non-AMD CNV, seven non-AMD eyes, and one internal limiting membrane specimen. Finally, human monocyte-derived macrophages and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells were exposed to C. pneumoniae and assayed in vitro for the production of pro-angiogenic immunomodulators (VEGF, IL-8, and MCP-1). C. pneumoniae was detected in four of nine AMD CNV by IHC and two of nine AMD CNV by PCR, induced VEGF production by human macrophages, and increased production of IL-8 and MCP-1 by RPE cells. In contrast, none of the 22 non-AMD specimens showed evidence for C. pneumoniae. These data indicate that a pathogen capable of inducing chronic inflammation and pro-angiogenic cytokines can be detected in some AMD CNV, and suggest that infection may contribute to the pathogenesis of AMD.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of Chlamydia pneumoniae within human choroidal neovascular membranes secondary to age-related macular degeneration

Kalayoglu

Bula

Arroyo

et al. 2005

Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmo

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“…The bacterial phylum Chlamydiae was discovered about a century ago. Until recently, research was focused on a single chlamydial family, the Chlamydiaceae, which includes the aetiological agents of important animal and human diseases such as trachoma, sexually transmitted diseases and pneumonia (WHO, 2001;Kalayoglu and Byrne, 2006;Horn, 2008;WHO, 2008). Knowledge of chlamydial diversity drastically changed in the 1990s with the discovery of the first 'Chlamydia-like bacteria' (Kahane et al, 1995;Amann et al, 1997;Birtles et al, 1997;Fritsche et al, 2000;Horn, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chlamydial seasonal dynamics and isolation of ‘Candidatus Neptunochlamydia vexilliferae’ from a Tyrrhenian coastal lake

Pizzetti

Schulz

Tyml

et al. 2015

Environmental Microbiology

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The Chlamydiae are a phylum of obligate intracellular bacteria comprising important human and animal pathogens, yet their occurrence in the environment, their phylogenetic diversity and their host range has been largely underestimated. We investigated the seasonality of environmental chlamydiae in a Tyrrhenian coastal lake. By catalysed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization, we quantified the small planktonic cells and detected a peak in the abundance of environmental chlamydiae in early autumn with up to 5.9 × 10(4) cells ml(-1) . Super-resolution microscopy improved the visualization and quantification of these bacteria and enabled the detection of pleomorphic chlamydial cells in their protist host directly in an environmental sample. To isolate environmental chlamydiae together with their host, we applied a high-throughput limited dilution approach and successfully recovered a Vexillifera sp., strain harbouring chlamydiae (93% 16S rRNA sequence identity to Simkania negevensis), tentatively named 'Candidatus Neptunochlamydia vexilliferae'. Transmission electron microscopy in combination with fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to prove the intracellular location of these bacteria representing the first strain of marine chlamydiae stably maintained alongside with their host in a laboratory culture. Taken together, this study contributes to a better understanding of the distribution and diversity of environmental chlamydiae in previously neglected marine environments.

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