Optimal cultivation of Chlamydia requires testing of serum on individual species

Objective: This report is a side product of experiments aimed at identifying serum for culturing obligate intracellular bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis and C. muridarum in mouse fibroblast L929 cells. Results: Of five commercial serum samples tested, two showed optimal efficiencies at supporting growth of the human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis as control fetal bovine serum, whereas two showed modest ~ 40% inhibitions in progeny production, and the remaining one showed a 20% inhibition. Three of the six sera poorly supported growth of the murine pathogen Chlamydia muridarum, resulting in 73-90% reduction in progeny formation. Most significantly, the one with the strongest (90%) C. muridarum inhibition activity showed optimal C. trachomatis-supporting efficiency. These findings indicate that in laboratories that study multiple Chlamydia species, serum samples should be prescreened on a species basis. Considering Chlamydial biology and epidemiology, it may even be necessary to perform serum tests on a serovar- or strain-basis for studying some animal chlamydiae.