ANTIGEN CONFORMATION DEPENDENCE OF CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS INFECTIVITY NEUTRALIZATION

Chlamydia trachomotis infections cause the most common notifiable dise ases in the United States, reflecting the successful adaptation of the se organisms to persist in their obligate human host population Antige nic variation of the quantitatively predominant major outer membrane p rotein (MOMP) is considered to play an important role in this adaptati on as a means of immune evasion. The relative capacity of murine polyv alent sera produced following infection, recovery, and challenge to ne utralize infectivity was highly serovar-specific and dependent upon th ermolabile antigens. The structural complexity of these immunodominant antigens was mimicked by chlamydial MOMP expressed in Escherichia col i, as antibodies that neutralize infectivity by recognition of conform ation-dependent antigens were specifically removed from sera following absorption using MOMP expressed in E. coli.