Infections as Triggers for Skin Disease
Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings (2001) 6, 233–237; doi:10.1046/j.0022-202x.2001.00050.x
Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chronic Skin Wounds: A Focused Review
Lloyd E King Jr*, Charles W Stratton† and William M Mitchell†
- *Department of Medicine (Dermatology), Nashville Veterans Administration Medical Centers, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
- †Department of Pathology, Nashville Veterans Administration Medical Centers, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
Correspondence: Dr Lloyd E. King Jr, Division of Dermatology, 3900 The Vanderbilt Clinic, Nashville, TN 37232. Email: lloyd.king@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
Received 14 February 2001; Revised 18 May 2001; Accepted 8 June 2001.
Abstract
The genus, Chlamydophilia, as obligate intracellular pathogens, induce chronic scarring in humans. Chlamydia pneumoniae, a common cause of pneumonia, infects endothelial cells and circulating macrophages. Evidence that C. pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen in chronic skin ulcers and other inflammatory skin conditions analogous to its role in atherosclerosis is reviewed.
Keywords:
Chlamydia, chronic skin ulcers, diabetes mellitus, vasculopathy
Abbreviations:
CP, Chlamydia pneumoniae
