Browsing by Subject "STD"

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    Genetic Dissection of Chlamydia spp. Determinants of Tissue Tropism, Stress Response and Nutrient Acquisition
    (2023-02) Banerjee, Arkaprabha; Nelson, David E.; Bauer, Margaret E.; Yang, X. Frank; Mosley, Amber L.
    Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is an obligate intracellular bacterium that transitions between two distinct morphological forms during its complex developmental cycle. During the intracellular portion of its developmental cycle, CT multiplies, evades host immunity, and acquires nutrients. CT is the causative agent of chlamydia, the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the US. CT infection sometimes elicits a robust host immune response which drives most chlamydia-associated pathology. Chlamydia outcomes include urethritis in men and women, cervicitis in women, as well as severe complications including pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancies in women and epididymitis in men. Sexually transmitted CT strains can also colonize multiple tissues in their hosts, apart from urogenital organs. For example, CT can infect cells of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Unlike urogenital infection, GI CT usually does not elicit inflammatory pathology. My goal was to identify genes that are central to CT pathogenesis. In one project, I characterized CTL0225, and showed that it is an amino acid transporter that helps CT acquire essential nutrients from the host cell. In another project, I identified a protease that helps CT survive stress, such as exposure to high temperature. I also found evidence that this protease plays a crucial role in the transition between morphological forms during CT development. Finally, I identified several novel genes that may contribute to CT tissue tropism using a genetic screen. Overall, I have identified and characterized several new CT factors that mediate the survival and virulence of this important pathogen.
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    Sexually transmitted diseases and infertility
    (Elsevier, 2017-01) Tsevat, Danielle G.; Wiesenfeld, Harold C.; Parks, Caitlin; Peipert, Jeffrey F.; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
    Female infertility, including tubal factor infertility, is a major public health concern worldwide. Most cases of tubal factor infertility are attributable to untreated sexually transmitted diseases that ascend along the reproductive tract and are capable of causing tubal inflammation, damage, and scarring. Evidence has consistently demonstrated the effects of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae as pathogenic bacteria involved in reproductive tract morbidities including tubal factor infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease. There is limited evidence in the medical literature that other sexually transmitted organisms, including Mycoplasma genitalium, Trichomonas vaginalis, and other microorganisms within the vaginal microbiome, may be important factors involved in the pathology of infertility. Further investigation into the vaginal microbiome and other potential pathogens is necessary to identify preventable causes of tubal factor infertility. Improved clinical screening and prevention of ascending infection may provide a solution to the persistent burden of infertility.