Skip Navigation


Human Reproduction Update Advance Access originally published online on July 10, 2006
Human Reproduction Update 2006 12(6):719-730; doi:10.1093/humupd/dml030
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
12/6/719    most recent
dml030v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (3)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by den Hartog, J.E.
Right arrow Articles by Land, J.A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by den Hartog, J.E.
Right arrow Articles by Land, J.A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Chlamydia trachomatis-associated tubal factor subfertility: immunogenetic aspects and serological screening

J.E. den Hartog1,3, S.A. Morré2 and J.A. Land1

1 Research Institute Growth and Development (GROW) and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht and 2 Laboratory of Immunogenetics, Section Immunogenetics of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pathology and Department of Internal Medicine, Section Infectious Diseases, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

3 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Research Institute Growth and Development (GROW) and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Hospital Maastricht, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands. E-mail: je_denhartog{at}hotmail.com

Chlamydia (C.) trachomatis female genital tract infections usually remain asymptomatic and untreated. Therefore, an adequate immune response, rather than antibiotic treatment, is essential to clear the pathogen. Most women will effectively clear C. trachomatis infections, but some will have persistent C. trachomatis infections, which may ascend to the upper genital tract and increase the risk of tubal factor subfertility. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of the toll-like receptor (TLR) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD) families recognize C. trachomatis and initiate the immune response. Host immune factors are determinants of the course of C. trachomatis infections. Genetic variations in TLR and NOD genes may affect receptor function, leading to inadequate recognition of C. trachomatis, an inadequate immune response, and consequently an increased risk of persistence and late sequelae. For the risk assessment of tubal pathology in subfertile women, C. trachomatis immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibody testing (CAT) in serum is widely used. A positive CAT is indicative of a previous infection but not of a persistent infection. Measuring serological markers of persistence, of which C-reactive protein (CRP) seems promising, in CAT-positive women may identify a subgroup of subfertile women with persistent C. trachomatis infections and the highest risk of tubal pathology.

Key words: Chlamydia trachomatis / immunogenetics / serological markers / tubal factor subfertility


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
J.E. den Hartog, C.M.J.G. Lardenoije, J.L. Severens, J.A. Land, J.L.H. Evers, and A.G.H. Kessels
Screening strategies for tubal factor subfertility
Hum. Reprod., August 1, 2008; 23(8): 1840 - 1848.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.