The relation of basic biology to pathogenic potential in the genus Chlamydia

Chlamydiae are obligately intracellular procaryotic parasites, and their activities as agents of human disease are determined to a large degree by their intracellular way of life. The inside of a host cell is a hostile environment, and few microorganisms survive and multiply intracellularly. Those that do have evolved adaptations that fit them for life inside other cells. Apart from the viruses, chlamydiae are the infectious agents most highly adapted to intracellular life. Of all the properties of chlamydiae, the ones most likely to determine their pathogenic potential are those that reflect their adaptations to life inside host cells. Wherever possible, these chlamydial activities will be indentified and described.