ABSTRACT
The history of chlamydia vaccine research is characterized both by empirical approaches using whole inactivated organism and, more recently, by rational molecular vaccine design. Unfortunately, human trials with inactivated vaccines ended in the late 1960s, and no rational design approach has been successful enough to move to clinical testing. Although several chlamydia vaccines are at various stages of development by several vaccine manufacturers there is little information on these in the scientific literature. To provide an overview of the current status of chlamydia vaccine development this chapter focuses on Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis, which are the two main chlamydial pathogens of humans, on our understanding of protective and pathologic immune responses to these pathogens, and on past and present attempts to develop human vaccines against these organisms. For another recent perspective on this subject, see Igietseme et al. [1]. It should be noted that although there are veterinary vaccines available or under development that may inform vaccine strategies for humans, veterinary vaccine development is beyond the scope of this chapter.
