TEM examinations of mixed infections (ca-PEDV and Chlamydia abortus or Chlamydia pecorum) revealed aberrant chlamydial inclusions containing fewer bacteria than typical inclusions and were located in viral syncytia or single cells without viral infection. Aberrant inclusions consisted of reticulate-like, pleomorphic, aberrant bodies

(ABs), which were in general larger in diameter PRN1371 research buy (up to 2 μm) than typical reticulate bodies (RBs), with a sparse densitometric appearance and no re-differentiation into elementary bodies (EBs). As already observed in IF investigations, three types of inclusions were present in dual infections with ca-PEDV and Chlamydia abortus (Figure 3c), whereas dual infections with ca-PEDV and Chlamydia pecorum resulted Selleck Stattic in the exclusive production of aberrant inclusions consisting of 2-50 ABs (Figure 3d). Neither chlamydial inclusions nor ca-PEDV virions were visible in mock-infected cells. ca-PEDV superinfection inhibition of infectious chlamydial EBs is chlamydial strain-specific Previous studies have demonstrated that chlamydial persistent forms are non-infectious

[2]. Reduced number or even a lack of EBs in co-infected cells in TEM suggested arrested chlamydial developmental cycle with halted maturation from RB to EB. To ascertain the effect of ca-PEDV inhibition of chlamydial EB production, the yield of infective chlamydial AZD1390 progeny was determined after 40 h of re-infection in three independent experiments for Chlamydia abortus (Figure 4a) and for Chlamydia pecorum (Figure

4b). Neither mock nor ca-PEDV monoinfected cells produced detectable infectious EBs, whereas Chlamydia abortus and Chlamydia pecorum single infections cells produced abundant EBs. Co-infected cells produced fewer infectious EBs than non-viral infected cells, demonstrating that production of infectious chlamydial progeny was essentially diminished by ca-PEDV-co-infection. Eradication of infectious EB production was almost complete in Chlamydia pecorum double infection, analyzed by reinfection experiments old and found to be statistically different as analyzed by t-test (p = 0.0145) (Figure 4b). In Chlamydia abortus reinfection analysis, several EBs could still be observed in spite of the co-infection with ca-PEDV (Figure 4a). Statistical analysis by t-test revealed no statistical difference (p = 0.2523) presumably due to the high variation in the data. Figure 4 Reinfection analysis of three independent experiments. a) number of inclusions of Chlamydia abortus inclusions after reinfection from mono and double infection. b) number of inclusions of Chlamydia pecorum after reinfection from mono and double infection. This data is consistent with the observations from our IF and ultrastructural analysis.