Preferential binding of Chlamydia trachomatis to subsets of human lymphocytes and induction of interleukin‐6 and interferon‐gamma

Abstract

The interactions between Chlamydia trachumatis and human blood mononuclear leukocytes were studied using flow cytometry. Immunofluorescence, electron microscopy and cytokine assays. Under serum‐free conditions, elementary bodies (EB) of C. trachomatis were found to bind to human T lymphocytes as well as to B cells and monocytes/macrophages (Mφ). For all cell types the binding was saturable. rapid, temperature‐independent and independent of the chlamydia‐specific serological status of the donor. Similar proportions of T and B cells bound EB at similar levels. In the T cell population, proportionally less CD8+cells bound EB. Whereas Mφ phagocytosed and destroyed the bound micro‐organisms for l..