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Review
. 2013 Apr 8;31(15):1892-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.01.024. Epub 2013 Jan 29.

Chlamydia trachomatis control requires a vaccine

Robert C Brunham  1 , Rino Rappuoli
Affiliations
Review

Chlamydia trachomatis control requires a vaccine

Robert C Brunham et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

As the most common reported communicable disease in North America and Europe, Chlamydia trachomatis is the focus of concerted public health control efforts based on screening and treatment. Unexpectedly control efforts are accompanied by rising reinfection rates attributed in part to arresting the development of herd immunity. Shortening the duration of infection through the testing and treatment program is the root cause behind the arrested immunity hypothesis and because of this a vaccine will be essential to control efforts. Advances in Chlamydia vaccinomics have revealed the C. trachomatis antigens that can be used to constitute a subunit vaccine and a vaccine solution appears to be scientifically achievable. We propose that an accelerated C. trachomatis vaccine effort requires coordinated partnership among academic, public health and private sector players together with a commitment to C. trachomatis vaccine control as a global public health priority.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Infection of the female genital tract with Chlamydia trachomatis. C. trachomatis elementary bodies infect the columnar epithelial cells of the cervix, and can ascend to infect the endometrium and the fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy. The inflammatory reaction is characterized by an influx of macrophages and neutrophils and the formation of immune inductive sites in the submucosa containing B cells, T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages [15].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Shown are case rates for C. trachomatis infection (blue) among women between the ages of 15 to 39 years and clinical PID (red) among women between the ages of 14 to 44 in the province of British Columbia, Canada between the years 1994 and 2009.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Shown are the relationship between Chlamydia specific immune responses and infection outcomes among primarily and reinfected animals [23].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Successful development of a C. trachomatis vaccine requires organizing activities across four key sectors. We propose the creation of a global public health enterprise dedicated to this purpose.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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