Chlamydia trachomatis genital tract infection of antibody-deficient gene knockout mice

The importance of antibody-mediated immunity in primary and secondary Chlamydia trachomatis genital tract infections was examined by using a definitive model of B-cell deficiency, the mu MT/mu MT gene knockout mouse, Vaginally infected B-cell-deficient mu MT/mu MT mice developed a self-limiting primary infection that was indistinguishable from infection of control C57BL/6 mice, Sera and vaginal secretions from infected mice were analyzed for anti-Chlamydia antibodies, C57BL/6 mice produced high-titered serum anti-Chlamydia immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a), IgG2b, and IgA antibodies, and vaginal washes contained predominately anti-Chlamydia IgA, Serum and vaginal washes from infected B-cell-deficient mice were negative for anti-Chlamydia antibody, T-cell proliferation and delayed-type hypersensitivity assays were used as measures of Chlamydia-specific cell-mediated immunity and were found to be comparable for C57BL/6 and B-cell-deficient mice, Seventy days following primary infection, mice were rechallenged to assess acquired immunity, B-cell-deficient mice which lack anti-Chlamydia antibodies were more susceptible to reinfection than immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice, However, acquired immune resistance was evident in both strains of mice and characterized by decreased shedding of chlamydiae and an infection of shorter duration, Thus, this study demonstrates that cell-mediated immune responses alone were capable of resolving chlamydial infection; however, in the absence of specific antibody, mice were more susceptible to reinfection, Therefore, these data suggest that both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses were important mediators of immune protection in this model, though cell-mediated immune responses appear to play a more dominant role.