SEROLOGIC RESPONSES OF INFERTILE WOMEN TO THE 60-KD CHLAMYDIAL HEAT-SHOCK PROTEIN (HSP60)

Objective: To determine whether women with Chlamydia trachomatis-assoc iated tubal infertility are more likely than other infertile women to have antibodies to a particular region of the 60-kd chlamydial heat sh ock protein, hsp60. Design: Serologic responses to the chlamydial hsp6 0 were examined in 43 infertile women seropositive for Chlamydia trach omatis, including 21 women with tubal infertility, 13 women with endom etriosis, and 9 women with other causes of infertility. Antibody respo nses were localized to regions of hsp60 using five nonoverlapping reco mbinant polypeptides. Results: Sixteen women with tubal infertility ha d anti-hsp60 antibodies compared with seven women with endometriosis a nd two women with other causes of infertility. Antibodies of 11 women with tubal infertility reacted predominantly with a region of hsp60 co ntaining amino acids (201 to 300) compared with 1 woman without tubal infertility. In contrast, antibodies that localized to the carboxyl te rminus, amino acids (401 to 544), were seen equally in all groups. Con clusions: Among seropositive infertile women, antibodies that localize d to amino acids (201 to 300) were immunodominant in those with tubal infertility but not in those with infertility due to other causes.