Objective: To evaluate the role of chlamydial heat shock protein 60 (CHSP60)-specific T-lymphocytes in tubal factor infertility.
Design: Case series of patients with tubal factor infertility.
Setting: Infertility Clinic, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital and Laboratory of Cell-Mediated Immunity, National Public Health Institute, Oulu, Finland.
Patient(s): Five patients with tubal factor infertility who underwent elective salpingectomy because of hydrosalpinges.
Intervention: Collection of salpingeal tissue specimens for in vitro culture of T-lymphocytes.
Main outcome measure(s): Cloning of Chlamydia trachomatis and CHSP60-specific T-lymphocyte lines derived from inflamed salpingeal tissue. Cytokine production analysis of the established T-lymphocyte clones.
Result(s): Seventy-seven (34%) of the 229 T-lymphocyte clones recognized C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae elementary bodies as target antigens. One-third of these Chlamydia genus-specific T-lymphocyte clones further recognized CHSP60 as the target antigen. Most of the CHSP60-specific T-lymphocyte clones produced predominantly IL-10.
Conclusion(s): CHSP60 may be an important T-lymphocyte antigen involved in the immunopathogenesis of tubal damage associated with chronic C. trachomatis infection.