Abstract
Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular human pathogen responsible for a wide range of acute and chronic human diseases, including pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. Serological methods for the diagnosis of C. pneumoniae infection vary widely, and several authors have reported significant inter- and intra-laboratory variability in diagnostic methods and criteria. Over the past 10 years, numerous studies have focused on the identification of specific antigens for application in serodiagnosis, including the diagnosis of persistent infections. The use of proteomics may enable the development of serological diagnosis kits that offer reliable sensitivity and specificity and might even differentiate between the various stages of infection with this pathogen.
Highlights
Chlamydia pneumoniae is an intracellular human pathogen that causes acute respiratory diseases (Grayston et al, 1990)
The microimmunofluorescence (MIF) test has been of paramount importance in detecting acute C. pneumoniae infections and describing the prevalence of these infections (Persson & Boman, 2000), and it is currently considered the gold standard for the serodiagnosis of C. pneumoniae infection (Dowell et al, 2001; Peeling et al, 2000)
It was long believed that Chlamydia species are energy parasites that are strictly auxotrophic for ATP, but this study revealed the presence of several proteins related to the production of energy by a type III secretion system in elementary bodies (EBs)
Summary
Chlamydia pneumoniae is an intracellular human pathogen that causes acute respiratory diseases (Grayston et al, 1990). Various researchers have used a proteomics approach to characterize the C. pneumoniae cell surface and identify immunodominant proteins in an attempt to develop a diagnostic kit based on recombinant antigens, as achieved for other species of the Chlamydiaceae family (Bas et al, 2001; Longbottom et al, 2001, 2002). This kit would permit reliable diagnosis of C. pneumoniae infection and may even allow differentiation among different stages of the disease
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