Chlamydia packs DNA with lipids, revealing possible target for blocking infection

The bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Biologically, it is regarded as a highly specialized "nutrient thief": Because chlamydia have lost the ability to reproduce independently outside a host cell, they hijack human metabolic products—particularly sphingolipids—for their own development. Within the host cell, they create a sheltered environment known as an inclusion. These bacterial colonies often grow so large that they exceed the size of the human host cell's nucleus.