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Part of the book series: Infectious Disease ((ID))

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Abstract

Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular pathogens that have established a unique niche within the host cell. Until recently, the order Chlamydiales contained one family, Chlamydiaceae, which contained one genus, Chlamydia, with four recognized species: Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia psittaci, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Chlamydia pecorum. The species most important in human disease are C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae. C. trachomatis infection is the most prevalent sexually transmitted pathogen and infectious disease in the United States today (1). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the number of new C. trachomatis infections exceeds 4 million annually (1,2). C. pneumoniae is now recognized as an important respiratory pathogen, and C. psittaci is primarily a zoonosis.

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© 2006 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Hammerschlag, M.R. (2006). Chlamydia trachomatis . In: Hutto, C. (eds) Congenital and Perinatal Infections. Infectious Disease. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-965-6:261

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-965-6:261

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-297-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-965-3

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