Scientists Resolve Decades-old Mystery of 'Chlamydial Anomaly'
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 - 13:40
in Health & Medicine
A 50-year-old mystery surrounding the existence of a cell wall in the bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis, or chlamydia, has been solved by researchers at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). Chlamydia is the leading cause of sexually transmitted infections worldwide, infecting nearly 1.5 million Americans each year. It can cause sterility in men and women, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and ectopic pregnancy and is also the leading cause of preventable blindness. Other types of chlamydia cause a variety of diseases in humans and animals, including two strains of the bacterium that are threatening survival of the koala population in Australia.