Male genital tract infection by Chlamydia trachomatis: Special tropism for the prostate gland by and its pathogenic consequences

MACKERN- OBERTI JUAN PABLO, SANCHEZ LEONARDO, MARIA LAURA BRESER, MARIANA MACCIONI, RIVERO VIRGINIA

Buenos Aires

Congreso; FIRST FRENCH-ARGENTINE IMMUNOLOGY CONGRESS. FAIC 2010; 2010

Sociedad Argentina Inmunologia

Even though the prevalence of Chlamydial infection is similar in male and female, the amount of information currently available about the pathogenesis and immunity to C. trachomatis infection in males is scarce. We have previously demonstrated using an in vivo male genital tract model of Chlamydial infection that the inoculation of Chlamydia muridarum (Cm) within meatus urethra results in an ascending infection with a special tropism for the prostate gland. The presence of the bacteria in the prostate gland was sustained at late time point after inoculation (90dpi) and was accompanied by infiltration of the gland. In the present work we analyze the composition of the infiltrate using immune-histochemical assays. We detected few CD11b+, CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells in prostate glands of control rats. Prostate gland infiltration observed in infected rats was composed mostly by CD3 cells, with high staining for CD8 and CD4 cells. No differences between infected and control glands were observed when CD11b+ cells were analyzed. We also investigated the presence of antibodies against male genital tract antigens in infected and control serum obtained at day 90pi. A high proportion of serum from infected animals showed immune- reactivity against bladder (85%), prostate (100%) and testis (75%) extracts. However, no immune-reactivity was observed when urethra and seminal vesicle extracts were used. Our results prompt us to speculate that during the course of Cm male urogenital tract infection, the special tropism of this bacteria for the prostate gland and its continuous presence together with the production of cytokines and quemokines would induce a chronic inflammation with the release of prostate and other male genital antigens that, in turn, would evolve in the break of tolerance and the onset of an autoimmune process within the male genital tract.