Enumeration of Viable Chlamydia from Infected Animals Using Immunofluorescent Microscopy

Steven Liang; James B Mahony

doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-9694-0_16

Enumeration of Viable Chlamydia from Infected Animals Using Immunofluorescent Microscopy

Methods Mol Biol. 2019:2042:237-244. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9694-0_16.

Authors

Steven Liang¹, James B Mahony²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
² Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. mahonyj@mcmaster.ca.

PMID: 31385280
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9694-0_16

Abstract

An appropriate means of quantitating infectious Chlamydia from infected animals is essential for the evaluation of vaccines. However, unlike methods involving culture, nonculture methods, including detection of antigen or DNA, are not able to differentiate between viable and nonviable organisms. As an obligate intracellular bacterium, Chlamydia replicates inside host cells by forming unique organelles called inclusions. Here, we describe the enumeration of viable C. trachomatis from infected mice by culturing vaginal swabs on McCoy cells and counting inclusions via immunofluorescent microscopy.

Keywords: Chlamydia; Immunofluorescent microscopy; Shedding; Vaccine efficacy; Viable Chlamydia enumeration.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bacterial Load / methods*
Chlamydia Infections / microbiology*
Chlamydia trachomatis / isolation & purification*
Female
Humans
Mice
Microbial Viability
Microscopy, Fluorescence / methods*
Vagina / microbiology