Chlamydia-Related Infections and Diagnostic Techniques

Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria responsible for a wide array of diseases in humans and animals. In humans, Chlamydia trachomatis causes urogenital infections, trachoma and lymphogranuloma venereum, while Chlamydia pneumoniae is a common agent of community-acquired respiratory infections. Zoonotic species such as Chlamydia psittaci and Chlamydia abortus affect poultry, livestock and wildlife, and may spill over into human populations, causing psittacosis or reproductive loss. More recently, novel Chlamydia-related organisms such as Waddlia chondrophila and Chlamydia gallinacea have been implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes and subclinical avian carriage. Traditional diagnostic approaches—including cell culture, serological assays and targeted PCR—have underpinned surveillance and outbreak investigation but are limited by slow turnaround, variable sensitivity and the requirement for specific sample types. Advances in molecular diagnostics, notably metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), multiplex PCR panels and high-throughput genotyping, have expanded pathogen detection, enabled resistance profiling and revealed mixed infections. Better understanding of the lung and genital microbiota in chlamydial infections is informing pathogenesis and guiding precision therapy. Optimising laboratory workflows and integrating novel assays into routine practice remain critical to control transmission, inform public-health interventions and reduce the burden of chlamydial disease globally.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Chlamydia-Related Infections and Diagnostic Techniques publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in chlamydia-related infections and diagnostic techniques across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS): Unbiased high-throughput sequencing that identifies all nucleic acids in a clinical sample to detect known and novel pathogens.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): Amplification of specific DNA targets to detect and quantify pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity.

Serology: Detection of host antibodies against pathogens in serum to infer current or past infection and support epidemiological surveillance.

Obligate intracellular bacteria: Bacteria that require host cells for replication, rendering conventional culture methods challenging and labour-intensive.

Zoonosis: Disease transmissible from animals to humans, often involving wildlife or livestock reservoirs and requiring coordinated veterinary and public-health responses.

References

1. The role of Chlamydiales in adverse pregnancy outcome: a community-based nested case-control study. Clinical Microbiology and Infection (2023).
2. Clinical identification and microbiota analysis of Chlamydia psittaci- and Chlamydia abortus- pneumonia by metagenomic next-generation sequencing. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2023).
3. Laboratory methods for case finding in human psittacosis outbreaks: a systematic review. BMC Infectious Diseases (2018).
4. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of severe pneumonias caused by Chlamydia psittaci. Infection (2020).
5. Chlamydia gallinacea, not C. psittaci, is the endemic chlamydial species in chicken (Gallus gallus). Scientific Reports (2016).