DOI: 10.5061/dryad.69p8cz982
title: Multimodal mucosal and systemic immune characterization of a non-human primate trachoma model highlights the critical role of local immunity during acute phase disease

description: Trachoma is a leading cause of infection-related blindness worldwide. This
 disease is caused by recurrent Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct)
 infections of the conjunctiva and develops in two phases: i) active (acute
 trachoma, characterized by follicular conjunctivitis), then long-term: ii)
 scarring (chronic trachoma, characterized by conjunctival fibrosis,
 corneal opacification, and eyelid malposition). Scarring trachoma is
 driven by the number and severity of reinfections. The immune system plays
 a pivotal role in trachoma including exacerbation of the disease. Hence
 the immune system may also be key to developing a trachoma vaccine.
 Therefore, we characterized clinical and local immune response kinetics in
 a non-human primate model of acute conjunctival Ct infection and disease.
 The conjunctiva of a non-human primate (NHP, Cynomolgus monkeys
 - Macaca fascicularis-) was inoculated with Ct
 (B/Tunis-864 strain, B serovar). Clinical ocular monitoring was performed
 using a standardized photographic grading system, and local immune
 responses were assessed using multi-parameter flow cytometry of
 conjunctival cells, tear fluid cytokines, immunoglobulins, and Ct
 quantification. Clinical findings were similar to those observed during
 acute trachoma in humans, with the development of typical follicular
 conjunctivitis from the 4th week post-exposure to the 11th week.
 Immunologic analysis indicated an early phase influx of T cells in the
 conjunctiva and elevated interleukins 4, 8, and 5, followed by a late
 phase monocytic influx accompanied by a decrease in other immune cells,
 and tear fluid cytokines returning to initial levels. Our NHP model
 accurately reproduces the clinical signs of acute trachoma, allowing for
 an accurate assessment of the local immune responses in infected eyes. A
 progressive immune response occurred for weeks after exposure to Ct, which
 subsided into a persistent innate immune response. An understanding of
 these local responses is the first step toward using the model to assess
 new vaccines and therapeutic strategies for disease prevention.
description: # Multimodal mucosal and systemic immune characterization of a novel
 non-human primate trachoma model highlights the critical role of local
 immunity during acute phase disease
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.69p8cz982](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.69p8cz982) This dataset contains results characterizing our model of trachoma (non-human primate). Those results comprise clinical scoring to assess the clinical signs, bacterial quantification to assess the conjunctival infection by *Chlamydia trachomatis*, as well as local and systemic immune assessment (conjunctival immune population with flow cytometry, immunoglobulin, and cytokines quantifications). ## Description of the data and file structure Results are organized by type of data, each data type in a different folder. Clinical scoring is compiled in a single Excel file of clinical scoring results (on a scale of 0 to 8 for total scoring, 0 to 3 for inflammation score, and 0 to 5 for follicles score). Bacterial loads of conjunctival *Chlamydia trachomatis* are compiled in a single Excel file with qPCR results expressed in equivalent copies of IFU (inclusion forming unit) per µL. Flow cytometry results are put as FCS files raw from any analysis with a separate folder for each timepoint and a different folder for compensation files. Each animal is a different FCS file. Cytokine quantifications are compiled in a single Excel file. Each cytokine is expressed in pg per µL. Immunoglobulin quantifications are compiled in a single Excel file and expressed in titers. For every Excel file, cells were left blank when the data wasn't available. ## Sharing/Access information These data are not accessible in any other way and are not derived from other sources.