Binding, ingestion, and growth of Chlamydia trachomatis (L2 serovar) analyzed by flow cytometry.

We have developed a method for quantitatively assessing binding, ingestion, and growth of Chlamydia trachomatis (L2 serovar) in several mammalian cell lines using fluorescence staining and flow cytometry. Cells were incubated with chlamydia at 4 degrees C to monitor binding; ingestion was determined by raising the temperature to 37 degrees C for 1-4 h and removing extracellular bacteria with pronase. Growth of bacteria was measured by assessing brightly stained intracellular inclusions. Fixation with methanol prior to fluorescent staining provided the most intense specific staining with minimal background, as well as preserving cell morphology. Our data reveal relatively slow ingestion of L2 by McCoy fibroblasts (maximum ingestion by 4 h) and a sizeable population of McCoy cells (30-40% of total cells) that ingest L2 but do not permit its growth under certain infectious conditions. It was possible to correlate specific histogram patterns on the flow cytometer with fluorescent microscope observations. This system provides a means of analyzing quantitative interactions between chlamydia and individual host cells.