Cytokine profiling of samples positive for Chlamydia trachomatis and Human papillomavirus

Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is closely associated with cervical carcinoma. Co-infection in the endocervical environment with other microorganisms, such as Chlamydia trachomatis, may increase the risk of HPV infection and neoplastic progression. While in some individuals, Chlamydia trachomatis infection is resolved with the activation of Th1/IFN-γ-mediated immune response, others develop a chronic infection marked by Th2-mediated immune response, resulting in intracellular persistence of the bacterium and increasing the risk of HPV infection. This work aimed to quantify cytokines of the Th1/Th2/Th17 profile in exfoliated cervix cells (ECC) and peripheral blood (PB) of patients positive for Chlamydia trachomatis DNA, patients positive for Papillomavirus DNA, and healthy patients. Cytokine levels were quantified by flow cytometry in ECC and PB samples from patients positive for C. trachomatis DNA (n = 18), patients positive for HPV DNA (n = 30), and healthy patients (n = 17) treated at the Hospital de Amor, Campo Grande-MS. After analysis, a higher concentration of IL-17, IL-6, and IL-4 (p