Chlamydia Trachomatis Essay -- Essays Papers

Chlamydia TrachomatisIntroduction Chlamydia Trachomatis is the existence responsible for diseases such as trachoma and the STD Chlamydia. Chlamydia is the well-nigh common STD in the United States, with nigh 4 million newfound cases diagnosed every year.The Organism & its Life Cycle Chlamydia are obligate intracellular parasites, and are among the smallest living organisms. There are two stages in the brio of Chlamydia elementary bodies and reticulate bodies. Another feature of Chlamydia is that they are unable to synthesize their own energy (ATP) and are completely dependent on their host for energy. The organism is in the elementary stage of its life when it encounters its host and is taken up by phagocytosis. It prevents the fusion of the phagosome and lysosome this is what normally kills pathogens. Once the phagolysosome formation is stopped, the bacteria secrete glycogen and transform into the reticulate body. Reticulate bodies obtain their energy by sending forth straw-lik e structures into the host cell cytoplasm, and they divide by binary fission. Each phagolysosome produces about 100-1000 reticulate bodies.Virulence Factors The cell wall of Chlamydia has been characterized as gram negative with a notable difference it lacks muramic acid that is found in the cell walls of most other bacteria. This makes Chlamydia resistant to _-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin, because such antibiotics disrupt the typical cell wall, which includes muramic acid. Being gram-negative, it also contains LPS, which helps cause damage to the hosts body(mainly receivable to the hosts immune response). Once inside the host, chlamydia bind sialic acid receptors, which are usually found in mucous-rich environments. Antigenic variation is ... ...nant women and neonates (that are septic with Chlamydia), erythromycin is the drug of choice. Chlamydia may be difficult to completely eradicate, but in the past few years, the incidence rates have been steady, and with planning and feast information about it, we can attack the overwhelming incidence rate and curb the spread of Chlamydia.References1) University of Wisconsin. http//www.bact.wisc.edu/Bact330/lecturechlamydia2) CDC. Recommendations for the Prevention and Management of Chlamydia trachomatis Infections, 1993 http//www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00021622.htm3) Schaechter, Engleberg, Eisenstein, and Gerald Medoff (1999). Mechanisms of Microbial Disease. Third Edition. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia.4) MedlinePlus checkup Encyclopedia. http//www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001345.htm