ABSTRACT
The unique structural features of chlamydial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipid A described in the following are presently attracting our interest, e.g., the unique Kdo region or the description of nonhydroxylated fatty acids directly bound to the lipid A backbone. In addition, there are three independent reports (19–21) on the isolation of living C. pneumoniae from arteriosclerotic plaques. Whatever the conclusions, even the slightest possibility that C. pneumoniae represents one factor in the complex pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis demands further attention, since safe and effective antibiotics against chlamydiae are available. Special attention should be paid to the heat-shock proteins and the LPS. The 57 kDa heat-shock protein of C. trachomatis is a hypersensitivity antigen, which induces a delayed-type hypersensitivity in the conjunctiva of experimental animals after primary infection of the eye or the genital tract.
