‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

GENUS: CHLAMYDIA
Prof. Khalifa SifawGhenghesh
 Small Gram-negative bacteria (Stain poorly
with Gram’s stain)
 Like Bacteria
 Have both DNA and RNA, Ribosomes, a Cell
wall, and Divide by Binary fission
 Like Viruses
 Obligate intracellular parasites

 Differ from Bacteria

 Have no peptidoglycan in their cell wall
 Can not produce their own ATP
 Require to use host ATP (Energy parasite)
 Chlamydia species
 C. trachomatis
 3 biovars
 Those causing trachoma and inclusion

conjunctivitis (TRIC)
 Those causing lymphogranuloma

venereum (LGV)
 The one causing mouse pneumonitis (MoPn)

 C. psittaci > Infect both mammals and birds

 C. pneumoniae > both humans and animals
 C. pecorum > Some infect mammals
 Trachoma biovars
 14 Serovars: A-K
 Serovars A, Ba, B, C
 Classic trachoma
 Serovars D-K
 Inclusion conjunctivitis and Genital
infections
 LGV biovars
3 Serovars: L1, L2, L3
 Can be stained with Giemsa stain
 Elementary body (EB)
 Extracellular,infectious metabolically
inert form of chlamydiae
 Reticulate body (RB)
 Intracellular,
non-infectious,
metabolically active particle
 Infection to Humans
 Ocular infection
 Trachoma > in countries where sanitation
and hygiene standards are poor
 Spread by eye seeking flies, or fingers,
from one patient to another
 Blindness
 “Trachoma belt” > North Africa to South-East
Asia

 Adult inclusion conjunctivitis

(paratrachoma)
 Acute stage >> follicular conjunctivitis
 Self-limited
 Chlamydial ophthalmia neonatrum
(inclusion blennorrhoea)
 5-21 days after birth

 If not treated > after 1 year >

secondary bacterial infection >

ocular damage and even blindness
 Source:

 infected genital tract of the mother

 Genital infection
 C. trachomatis is the Commonest
cause of non-gonococcal urethritis
in males (30%)
 LGV
 In both males and females in

tropics and subtropics

 In females
 Mucopurulent cervicitis and
urethritis
 Vaginitis and vaginal discharge

 Asymptomatic females if not

treated
 Ascending infection >> Pelvic
inflammatory disease (endometritis
or salpingitis or both)
 Tubal damage >> ectopic pregnancy
and infertility
 Infection in pregnancy
 C. psittaci
 Miscarriage or intra-uterine death
 Patients had contact with sheep

 C. trachomatis
 Isolated from abortion products
 Respiratory infection
 C. pneumoniae
 3rd or 4th cause of pneumonia

 Pharyngitis, bronchitis, otitis and

sinusitis

 C. psittaci
 Psittacosis in humans from avian

strains
 Disease ranges from an influenza-like

illness, to severe illness with typhoidal

state ad pneumonia.
 C. trachomatis
 Pneumonitis in neonates

(infection acquired from the

mother)
 Laboratory Diagnosis
 Cultivation
 MacCoy cells treated with
cycloheximide
 Organism detected by staining for
inclusions or EBs
 Detects only living cells
 Antigen detection
 Using probes for DNA or mRNA that
identify the infected cells
 PCR
 Amplification of parts of the genome
Chlamydia trachomatis
from a urethral scrape
 Serology
 Micro-immunofluorescence test
 Using Ags from all chlamydial
strains to detect species-specific
and serovar-specific Ab

 Complement fixation test

 Detecting Ab in serum directed
against group Ag
 Chlamydia psittaci
Direct FA stained mouse brain impression smear
 Treatment and Control
 Chemotherapy
 Tetracycline in adults and Erythromycin
in babies
 For 3 weeks
 Azithromycin
 Single dose
 Contact tracing
 Partners of index cases (even if
clinically normal)
 Neonatal infection
 Both parents should be treated
 Animal contact
 Avoidance of contact with sources of
infection (specially pregnant women)
 Sheep, milking and shearing
 Control of importation of psittacine
birds

 Hygiene