The 7.5-kb common plasmid is unrelated to the drug susceptibility of Chlamydia trachomatis

Using a new plaque cloning technique, we obtained unique Chlamydia trachomatis strains, which were confirmed to be free of the 7.5-kb common plasmid and glycogen in inclusions. The inclusions in plasmid-free and glycogen-negative strains were characterized by a target-like bull's eye morphology that appeared with the formation of a central translucent area that began to be seen clearly at 30 h postinoculation. The clear zone was composed of gel materials originating from reticulate bodies (RBs) that were abnormally large in size and irregular in shape, although one could not differentiate the aberrant RBs from normal RBs at early stages of development. The in-vitro susceptibility of these strains to various chemotherapeutic antibiotics was tested by comparison with their parent strains possessing the common plasmid. No difference was detected for any of the antibiotics tested, indicating that the 7.5-kb common plasmid is unrelated to the drug susceptibility of C. trachomatis. Received: August 7, 2000 / Accepted: December 11, 2000