Quantifying Chlamydia in the Mouse Gastrointestinal Tract

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) causes genital tract infection in humans, but the clinical significance of C. trachomatis detection in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is an area of active research. Chlamydia muridarum (CM) is a mouse-adapted species used to investigate chlamydial biology and pathogenicity in both the genital and gastrointestinal tracts. Since chlamydial colonization of different segments of the GI tract may lead to distinct consequences, quantifying chlamydial yields across these regions will facilitate understanding of chlamydial biology and pathogenicity. This chapter describes a step-by-step protocol to isolate and process GI tract tissue in a CM mouse model of infection and quantify the infectious yields of chlamydia.