T cell responses to Chlamydia trachomatis

• Published in: Current Opinion in Microbiology Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 87 - 91
• Main Authors: Loomis, Wendy P, Starnbach, Michael N
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2002
• Subjects: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Antibody Formation; Antigens, Bacterial - chemistry; Antigens, Bacterial - metabolism; CD4 + T cell; CD4 antigen; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - secretion; CD8 + T cell; CD8 antigen; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - secretion; Chlamydia Infections - immunology; Chlamydia Infections - microbiology; Chlamydia Infections - prevention & control; Chlamydia trachomatis; Chlamydia trachomatis - growth & development; Chlamydia trachomatis - immunology; Humans; Immunity, Active; Interferon-gamma - immunology; Interferon-gamma - pharmacokinetics; Interferon-gamma - secretion; interferon-γ; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - physiology; CD4 + T cell; CD8 + T cell; interferon-γ; Chlamydia trachomatis; Immunology; Microbiology
• ISSN: 1369-5274; 1879-0364
• DOI: 10.1016/S1369-5274(02)00291-6

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common cause of bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States, as well as the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Immunity to C. trachomatis requires a variety of cell types, each employing an array of effector functions. Recent work has demonstrated that both CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes play a major role in protective immunity to C. trachomatis, predominantly through their secretion of interferon-γ. This review describes the generation of acquired immunity to C. trachomatis and focuses on how T cells contribute to both protection and immunopathology. Acquired immunity to Chlamydia trachomatis involves multiple immune effector functions. This review focuses on the critical role that T lymphocytes play in the control of this important human pathogen.