REINFECTION OF THE MOUSE GENITAL-TRACT WITH CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS - THE RELATIONSHIP OF ANTIBODY TO IMMUNITY

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 65  (1) , 51-58
Abstract
Progesterone-treated CBA mice which had had genital infections with a fast, human strain of C. trachomatis 8, 16, 58 or 69 wk previously were rechallenged through the uterine wall, as were groups of untreated controls. Serum IgG antibody and/or local IgA antibody was measured using a micro-immunofluorescence technique. Although the infection was self-limiting, chlamydiae were cleared significantly more quickly from the previously infected groups than from their controls in all experiments. Mice which had had a previous infection recently and which had high titers (geometric mean 1: .gtoreq. 2048) of serum IgG antibody and local IgA antibody immediately before rechallenge were as susceptible as mice which had had a distant past infection and which had much lower titers (geometric mean 1:48) of serum IgG antibody. Thus, some immunity was induced in the mouse model; pre-existing antibody seemed to be of little importance in this and did not influence the initial susceptibility to reinfection.