Urethral Cytokine and Immune Responses in Chlamydia trachomatis -Infected Males

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Abstract
Penile urethral swabs collected from PCR-confirmed Chlamydia trachomatis -infected, C. trachomatis -uninfected, and non- C. trachomatis -infected, nongonococcal urethritis-infected males were analyzed for cytokine, total immunoglobulin (Ig), and specific antibody levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Differential cellular components of the swab transport medium were also enumerated for the same groups. Although low, the levels of C. trachomatis -specific IgA and IgG antibodies and interleukin 8 cytokine were significantly higher in C. trachomatis -infected individuals. There were no significant differences in the levels of seven additional cytokines evaluated.