Future of human Chlamydia vaccine: potential of self-adjuvanting biodegradable nanoparticles as safe vaccine delivery vehicles

摘要

The Gram-negative intracellular bacterial species of the genus Chlamydia are of high clinical interest and pose considerable global public health concerns. All Chlamydia spp. (e.g. C. tra-chomatis, C. psittaci, C. pneumoniae, and C pecorum) have common developmental cycle, comprising two prominent morphologically distinct forms, the infectious elementary body (EB) stage, and an obligate intracellular, non-infectious and vegetative form, the reticulate body. Among the common species, C trachomatis, a major pathogen in humans, is composed of approximately 15 serovars (serotypes) or genovars (genotypes), designated as A through K and L1-L3, based on the antigenic or sequence variation in the major outer membrane protein {OmpA) [1-5]. These different chlamydial species cause ocular, genital, and respiratory infections whose major complications include blinding trachoma, reproductive dysfunctions, and respiratory diseases with considerable morbidities and exerting huge socioeconomic burdens on human healthcare.