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Plasmid deficiency in urogenital isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis reduces infectivity and virulence in a mouse model

Plasmid deficiency in urogenital isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis reduces infectivity and virulence in a mouse model
Plasmid deficiency in urogenital isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis reduces infectivity and virulence in a mouse model
We hypothesized that the plasmid of urogenital isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis would modulate infectivity and virulence in a mouse model. To test this hypothesis, we infected female mice in the respiratory or urogenital tract with graded doses of a human urogenital isolate of Chlamydia trachomatis, serovar F, possessing the cognate plasmid. For comparison, we inoculated mice with a plasmid-free serovar F isolate. Following urogenital inoculation, the plasmid-free isolate displayed significantly reduced infectivity compared to the wild type strain with the latter yielding a 17-fold lower infectious dose to yield 50% infection. When inoculated via the respiratory tract the plasmid-free isolate exhibited reduced infectivity and virulence (as measured by weight change) when compared to the wild type isolate. Further, differences in infectivity but not virulence were observed in a C. trachomatis, serovar E isolate with a deletion within the plasmid coding sequence 1 when compared to a serovar E isolate with no mutations in the plasmid. We conclude that plasmid loss reduces virulence and infectivity in this mouse model. These findings further support a role for the chlamydial plasmid in infectivity and virulence in vivo.
Sigar, Ira M.
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Schripsema, Justin H.
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Wang, Yibing
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Clarke, Ian N.
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Cutcliffe, Lesley T.
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Seth-Smith, Helena M.B.
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Thomson, Nicholas R.
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Bjartling, Carina
b8c0bfea-b7dc-4605-a865-0f1f4d40685b
Unemo, Magnus
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Persson, Kenneth
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Ramsey, Kyle H.
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Sigar, Ira M.
5ec41d35-d80d-4d75-aa70-82b241b5326a
Schripsema, Justin H.
8fda6d3a-6fa7-44ae-acef-93c5958985fc
Wang, Yibing
5561c404-84de-4032-afcd-cc7fd7282ad9
Clarke, Ian N.
ff6c9324-3547-4039-bb2c-10c0b3327a8b
Cutcliffe, Lesley T.
88f242f4-b4f7-46d4-a1dd-c187dd60a773
Seth-Smith, Helena M.B.
8395d2a5-4c57-45c3-bed3-5e6ee4bcdd5f
Thomson, Nicholas R.
5497a110-069d-4156-bccb-c77db572b1c2
Bjartling, Carina
b8c0bfea-b7dc-4605-a865-0f1f4d40685b
Unemo, Magnus
e3c042f0-3e00-4561-885f-7c79cd6d912f
Persson, Kenneth
9ecaea9f-c093-4d57-8bf3-99373ab580c7
Ramsey, Kyle H.
b93ffc54-69c6-4bf9-bfe5-cc078ed878fe

Sigar, Ira M., Schripsema, Justin H., Wang, Yibing, Clarke, Ian N., Cutcliffe, Lesley T., Seth-Smith, Helena M.B., Thomson, Nicholas R., Bjartling, Carina, Unemo, Magnus, Persson, Kenneth and Ramsey, Kyle H. (2013) Plasmid deficiency in urogenital isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis reduces infectivity and virulence in a mouse model. Pathogens and Disease. (doi:10.1111/2049-632X.12086). (PMID:24022847)

Record type: Article

Abstract

We hypothesized that the plasmid of urogenital isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis would modulate infectivity and virulence in a mouse model. To test this hypothesis, we infected female mice in the respiratory or urogenital tract with graded doses of a human urogenital isolate of Chlamydia trachomatis, serovar F, possessing the cognate plasmid. For comparison, we inoculated mice with a plasmid-free serovar F isolate. Following urogenital inoculation, the plasmid-free isolate displayed significantly reduced infectivity compared to the wild type strain with the latter yielding a 17-fold lower infectious dose to yield 50% infection. When inoculated via the respiratory tract the plasmid-free isolate exhibited reduced infectivity and virulence (as measured by weight change) when compared to the wild type isolate. Further, differences in infectivity but not virulence were observed in a C. trachomatis, serovar E isolate with a deletion within the plasmid coding sequence 1 when compared to a serovar E isolate with no mutations in the plasmid. We conclude that plasmid loss reduces virulence and infectivity in this mouse model. These findings further support a role for the chlamydial plasmid in infectivity and virulence in vivo.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 23 August 2013
Organisations: Clinical & Experimental Sciences

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Local EPrints ID: 360795
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/360795
PURE UUID: 755af809-0dcf-457e-91c0-ed8ee3e6b362
ORCID for Ian N. Clarke: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4938-1620

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Date deposited: 06 Jan 2014 11:39
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:33

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Contributors

Author: Ira M. Sigar
Author: Justin H. Schripsema
Author: Yibing Wang
Author: Ian N. Clarke ORCID iD
Author: Lesley T. Cutcliffe
Author: Helena M.B. Seth-Smith
Author: Nicholas R. Thomson
Author: Carina Bjartling
Author: Magnus Unemo
Author: Kenneth Persson
Author: Kyle H. Ramsey

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