ABSTRACT
Members of the genus Chlamydia are obligatory intracellular gram-negative parasites. The infectious particles form elementary bodies and have an overall diameter of 325 mm. Pinocytosis of the infectious elementary bodies by a cell results in their transformation into initial bodies, which in turn congregate to form actively dividing inclusions (reticular bodies). These reticular bodies, visible under light microscopy, appear to divide by a simple pinching-off process similar to that observed with other gram-negative organisms. Both RNA and DNA have been identified in them. Biochemical analysis reveals the presence of muramic acid, which is an important mucoprotein of bacterial cell walls. Chlamydial particles parasitize their host cells for the adenosine triphosphate required for metabolic activity and transformation of the initial/reticular bodies into infectious elementary bodies. Chlamydial infection of the host cell finally leads to cell death and release of the newly synthesized elementary bodies.
