This report, prepared by the student at the College of Dentistry, Hassan Atheed , in the third phase discusses scientific topics, but it maybe did not be 100% complete. Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular human pathogen responsible for a wide range of acute and chronic human diseases, including pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. Serological methods for the diagnosis of C. pneumoniae infection vary widely, and several authors have reported significant inter- and intra-laboratory variability in diagnostic methods and criteria. حسن عضيد

1. Chlamydophila pneumoniae & Respiratory Infections
Chlamydophila pneumoniae & Respiratory Infections
Hassan Atheed Habeeb
3rd Stage
Supervised By
Dr. Yusor Fadhil
Microbiology Report
University of Al-Ameed
College of Dentistry

2. Chlamydophila pneumoniae & Respiratory Infections
Bacteria Name : Chlamydophila pneumoniae
Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular human pathogen
responsible for a wide range of acute and chronic human diseases, including
pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. Serological methods for the diagnosis
of C. pneumoniae infection vary widely, and several authors have reported
significant inter- and intra-laboratory variability in diagnostic methods and criteria.
Bacteria properties
❖ Family Chlamydiaceae
❖ Obligate intracellular bacteria
❖ Rod-shaped or coccoid
❖ Aerobic Gram negative but difficult to stain
❖ Cell Wall – lipopolysaccharides form the outer membrane,
❖ not peptidoglycan Infect
❖ columnar epithelial cells
❖ Forms elementary bodies (EB)
❖ Non-motile
Abstract
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3. Chlamydophila pneumoniae & Respiratory Infections
Virulence factors
PATHOGENESIS
titers because serum IgA has a half- life of about 5–7 days, whereas IgG has a half-life
of weeks to months [9, 20]. Further evaluation, however, and confirmation by other
tests have to be awaited. A lack of validated and standardized diagnostic techniques in
diagnosis of acute, recurrent or chronic persistent infection with C. pneumoniae has
made interpretation of published data difficult. Recommendations for standardized
approaches were recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC, Atlanta) and the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control (Ottawa, Canada) in
cooperation with members of the C. pneumoniae-study group [21]. Diagnostic
approaches include serological testing, isolation/culture, nucleic acid-based
amplification techniques such as PCR, and tissue diagnostics like immunofluorescence,
immunohistochemistry (IHC) or in situ hybridization
Most of the factors of C. pneumoniae and C. trachomatis have now been identified by
proteome analysis of both species [115, 116]. Proteins of the “outer membrane
complex” (OmpA/B, Omp3, OmcB, POMP), chlamydial lipopolysaccharide (cLPS),
chlamydial heat-shock-proteins (e.g. chsp60/GroEL-1), a type III secretion apparatus
(TTS), the “chlamydial protease- or proteasome- like activity factor” (CPAF) or
peptidoglycans and peptidoglycan-like structures are likely candidates as possible
virulence factors.
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4. Chlamydophila pneumoniae & Respiratory Infections
Diseases
❖ pneumonia Pharyngitis.
❖ Bronchitis.
❖ Atherosclerosis.
❖ coronary disease Stroke.
❖ multiple sclerosis.
❖ Sarcoidosis.
❖ Alzheimer's disease.
People at Increased Risk
People of all ages can get sick from C. pneumoniae. It most commonly infects people
for the first time when they are school-aged children or young adults. However,
reinfection is most common in older adults.
People at increased risk include those who live or work in crowded settings where
outbreaks most commonly occur8, such as:
❖ Schools
❖ College residence halls
❖ Military barracks
❖ Nursing homes
❖ Hospitals
❖ Prisons
Older adults are at increased risk for severe disease caused by C. pneumoniae
infection, including pneumonia.
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Chlamydophila pneumoniae & Respiratory Infections

5. Chlamydophila pneumoniae & Respiratory Infections
TREATMENT
Erythromycin, tetracycline, and doxycycline demonstrate in vitro activity
against the organism If symptoms such as cough or malaise persist after
one course of antibiotics, a second course may be useful. Unless the drug
is contraindicated, tetracycline or doxycycline is recommended for the
second course. Two newer agents, azithromycin, an azalide, and
clarithromycin, a macrolide, have been demonstrated to be effective
against C. pneumoniae.
REFERENCES
❖ Journal of Medical Microbiology (2010), 59, 1267–1274
❖ Community-Acquired Pneumonia book
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Chlamydophila pneumoniae & Respiratory Infections