Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland.
Adv Clin Exp Med. 2014 Jan-Feb;23(1):123-6. doi: 10.17219/acem/37035.
High affinity to the epithelial lining of the airways makes Chlamydophila pneumoniae a common etiological agent of respiratory tract infections (RTI). It causes among others: pharyngitis, tracheitis, sinusitis, otitis media, bronchitis and bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. It is estimated that Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection is responsible for about 20% of lower respiratory tract infections. Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection may play an important role in the pathogenesis and course of bronchial asthma. The recent results indicate that Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection may be a factor responsible for 4-16% of COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) exacerbations. A relationship of chlamydial infection with atherosclerosis raises huge interest. A connection of Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection with other non-communicable diseases such as lung cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, sarcoidosis and erythema nodosum is also recognized, although the role of these bacteria has not been fully understood in any of the listed diseases.
高亲和力的呼吸道上皮衬里使得肺炎衣原体成为呼吸道感染（RTI）的常见病因。它可引起咽炎、气管炎、鼻窦炎、中耳炎、支气管炎和细支气管炎以及肺炎。据估计，肺炎衣原体感染约占下呼吸道感染的 20%。肺炎衣原体感染可能在支气管哮喘的发病机制和病程中起重要作用。最近的结果表明，肺炎衣原体感染可能是 COPD（慢性阻塞性肺疾病）恶化的原因之一，占 4-16%。衣原体感染与动脉粥样硬化的关系引起了极大的兴趣。肺炎衣原体感染与肺癌、关节炎、阿尔茨海默病、多发性硬化症、结节病和结节性红斑等其他非传染性疾病之间的联系也得到了认可，尽管这些细菌在上述任何一种疾病中的作用尚未完全了解。
