Proliferative response to conserved epitopes of the Chlamydia trachomatis and human 60-kilodalton heat-shock proteins by lymphocytes from women with salpingitis.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether an upper genital tract Chlamydia trachomatis infection sensitizes lymphocytes to heat-shock protein epitopes expressed in both the human and chlamydial 60 kd heat-shock protein. STUDY
DESIGN: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from women with or without a prior documented salpingitis and tested for their ability to proliferate in response to the recombinant C. trachomatis heat-shock protein and to five synthetic peptides corresponding to conserved epitopes expressed in both the human and chlamydial heat-shock proteins.
RESULTS: Among 22 healthy women with no history of chlamydial infections or salpingitis and 10 women seen for complaints other than a C. trachomatis infection, none had positive lymphocyte responses to any of the peptides and only one responded to the chlamydial heat-shock protein. Among nine women with a single episode of salpingitis none responded to the chlamydial heat-shock protein and one exhibited a positive lymphocyte response to a single peptide. This woman was also positive for C. trachomatis in the cervix. In contrast, among the 10 women with two or more episodes of salpingitis four (40%) had proliferation in response to the chlamydial heat-shock protein and five (50%) had positive lymphocyte responses to one of the peptides; two of these women also had C. trachomatis detected in their cervices.
CONCLUSION: In women with a history of C. trachomatis upper genital tract infections, infection with C. trachomatis or other microorganisms can induce a lymphocyte proliferative response to the chlamydial 60 kd heat-shock protein and to epitopes present in the human heat-shock protein.