Project lead: Dr. Scott Grieshaber
The bacteria in the order Chlamydiales are intracellular parasites of eukaryotic cells. They are reliant on a developmental cycle consisting of three cell forms termed the reticulate body (RB), the intermediate body (IB) and the elementary body (EB). Completion of the developmental cycle is central to the chlamydial pathogenesis. This Pilot grant developed an agent-based model of the chlamydial developmental cycle using the empirical data to inform the mechanisms controlling the developmental cycle. It then used the model to help deconvolve the role of each chlamydial phenotypic cell type (RB, IB, EB) in chlamydial persistence.