Background and current state of research
In this project, we will investigate the impact of different environmental factors on intracellular C. trachomatis infection in primary fallopian tube epithelial cells and a recently established ex-vivo primary fallopian tube model. It is known that a low oxygen environment dramatically changes metabolic activity and IFN-g induced persistence of chlamydiae.
Our goals
Based on preliminary results from an epidemiological microbiota study in infertile women we will particularly focus on the influence on co-infections with other bacteria such as Ureaplasma sp. and Snaethia sp. on the chlamydial developmental cycle and chlamydia induced inflammatory pathways.
This project is related to project 4: "Influence of the microenvironment on the pathogenicity of C. trachomatis in ascending genital tract infections in females".