Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026
09:11
A Human Fallopian Tube Model for Investigation of C. trachomatis Infections
Published on: August 11, 2012
[Environmental Chlamydiae with medical significance]
1Labor-Abteilung Mikrobiologie, Parasitologie, Zentrales Institut für Wehrmedizin und Hygiene, Koblenz. rolf.michel@email.de
Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift (1946)
|October 6, 2011
Summary
New bacteria, Parachlamydia acanthamoebae, were identified in Acanthamoeba, creating the Parachlamydiaceae family. These related bacteria, including Neochlamydia and Metachlamydia, are potential human pathogens.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Taxonomy
Background:
- Chlamydia-like bacteria are obligate intracellular bacteria.
- Free-living amoebae are increasingly recognized as hosts for novel microorganisms.
Observation:
- A chlamydia-like bacterium was isolated from Acanthamoeba sp. from human nasal mucosa.
- This bacterium was genetically distinct from the Chlamydiaceae family.
Findings:
- The novel species Parachlamydia acanthamoebae was described, leading to the establishment of the Parachlamydiaceae family.
- Subsequent studies identified additional chlamydia-like bacteria within amoebae, classified under Parachlamydiaceae.
- New genera (Neochlamydia, Metachlamydia) and a new species (Protochlamydia naegleriophila) were described.
Implications:
- The Parachlamydiaceae family represents a distinct lineage of chlamydia-like bacteria.
- These bacteria, found in environmental amoebae, have been detected in human patients, suggesting a role as potential pathogens.
- Further research is needed to understand their transmission, pathogenesis, and clinical significance.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Bacterial Phylum Chlamydiae
The phylum Chlamydiae or Chlamydiota is composed of a single order, Chlamydiales. This phylum consists entirely of obligate intracellular parasites that infect eukaryotic hosts. While human pathogens within this group have been studied extensively, the phylum encompasses many species capable of interacting with various eukaryotic organisms. Members of Chlamydiae are typically small cocci, approximately 0.5 μm in diameter, and exhibit a distinctive developmental cycle. As is characteristic of...
01:26Sexually Transmitted Infections
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases transmitted primarily through unsafe sexual interactions. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites cause them and can result in severe health complications if untreated.ChlamydiaThe bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the disease Chlamydia, the most common STI in the United States. This peculiar pathogen requires human cells to reproduce, residing intracellularly. The initial infection often goes unnoticed because it typically does not...
01:18Trichomoniasis
Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan parasite and the causative agent of trichomoniasis, one of the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infections in the United States. This extracellular parasite primarily colonizes the lower genitourinary tract in women—particularly the vagina—and in men, the urethra and prostate. Its structural and functional adaptations enable its survival, motility, and pathogenicity within the host environment.Structural Features and Host EntryT.
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...