Analysis of the immune response in mice following intrauterine infection with the Chlamydia trachomatis mouse pneumonitis biovar.

A Swiss Webster white mouse model of salpingitis was used to characterize the immune response following an intrauterine infection with the Chlamydia trachomatis mouse pneumonitis biovar. Western blot (immunoblot) analyses of the serum samples showed that the immunodominant bands corresponded to molecular masses of 72, 60, 42, and 28 kDa and to the lipopolysaccharide. Antibodies to the 60-kDa heat shock protein and to the 60-kDa cysteine-rich protein were detected at 2 and 3 weeks postinfection, respectively. Neutralization was observed in an in vitro assay with serum samples as early as the 3rd day postinfection and remained high for the 7 weeks of observation. The mice were mated in the 7th week following infection. Of the infected experimental mice, 71.4% were found to be either unilaterally or bilaterally infertile, whereas only 27.4% of the noninfected control mice were found to be infertile.