Can brain cells become infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae?

Description: The relationship between neurodegenerative diseases and Chlamydia pneunomia’s infection (Cpn) has been investigated by many studies obtaining conflicting results. But most of these have been carried out in post-mortem tissue. The present study was done in the microbiology laboratory in the university hospital of Maastricht, in Holland, and is the first in vitro. Three types of mouse brain cells; microglia, astrocytes and neuroblasts; were infected with Cpn. These cells were cultivated and groups of each type of cells were infected with Cpn and the other with a control solution of sucrose, phosphate and glucose. Afterwards two types of antibodies were used to bond to the Cpn.
La relación entre enfermedades neurodegenerativas y la infección por Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) ha sido ampliamente estudiada, obteniendo resultados conflictivos. Sin embargo, la mayoría de estos estudios han sido realizados en tejido post-mortem. El presente estudio, realizado en septiembre 2004 en el laboratorio de microbiología del hospital de la Universidad de Maastricht, Holanda, fue la primera investigación in Vitro. Tres tipos de células de cerebro de ratones; microglia, astrositos y neuroblastos; fueron infectadas con Cpn.