Biological principles of the culture of Chlamydia trachomatis in cell monolayers.

Cell culture techniques for the isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis opened the modern era of chlamydial research. The principles of the technique described by Gordon and Quan, in 1965, are the basis for the isolation systems subsequently developed. The various steps in the isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis in cell monolayers are described in relation to the biology of genus Chlamydia. In this context, attention is focused on a consideration of the eukaryotic cells most suitable for culture and on techniques for enhancing chlamydial attachment to the host cell and intracellular multiplication. In light of the high specificity attainable by the various culture techniques now in use, future improvements should make it possible to achieve greater sensitivity in the use of cell cultures to detect chlamydial infections.