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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
09:03
Forward Genetic Approaches in Chlamydia trachomatis
Published on: October 23, 2013
Chlamydia trachomatis laboratory strains versus recent clinical isolates: implications for routine microbicide
M C Skinner1, W E Stamm, M L Lampe
1Department of Medicine, Division of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
|February 4, 2009
Summary
Testing topical microbicides against Chlamydia trachomatis requires careful consideration of bacterial strains. While laboratory strains are often used, clinical isolates showed significant differences in susceptibility to nonoxynol-9, suggesting potential variations in microbicide effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Topical microbicides are crucial for preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including Chlamydia trachomatis.
- Current screening assays for microbicides against C. trachomatis often use laboratory-adapted strains.
- Clinical isolates may exhibit different susceptibilities to microbicides compared to lab strains, as observed in other bacteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the necessity of using recent clinical isolates of C. trachomatis in microbicide screening assays.
- To compare the in vitro activity of different microbicides against both clinical and laboratory strains of C. trachomatis.
- To refine microbicide screening assay methodologies for C. trachomatis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized three types of microbicides in an established in vitro assay simulating transmission conditions.
- Exposed C. trachomatis elementary bodies to microbicides before contact with epithelial cells.
- Determined microbicide toxicity to host cells and compared sensitivities of clinical isolates versus laboratory strains.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in susceptibility to nonoxynol-9 were observed between clinical isolates and laboratory strains of C. trachomatis.
- Minor differences in susceptibility were noted for the other two microbicides tested.
- The developed assay effectively assessed microbicide activity against C. trachomatis.
Conclusions:
- The use of recent clinical isolates may not be essential for initial assessment of topical microbicide effectiveness against C. trachomatis.
- Variations in microbicide susceptibility, particularly with nonoxynol-9, highlight the potential importance of clinical isolates in later testing stages.
- Assay modifications were successful in eliminating host cell toxicity at tested microbicide concentrations.
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