Animal Models of Immunity to Female Genital Tract Infections and Vaccine Development

Chlamydia, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and herpes simplex virus, type 2 (HSV-2) are the causative agents of three of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with more than 200. million new cases reported annually around the globe. Women carry a disproportionately higher burden of these infections and their disease sequelae. There are currently no viable effective prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine options available for these STIs. Nevertheless, significant progress has been made in last 3 decades that has increased advances in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis of, and immune responses against, these agents. Much of this information has come from animal studies that have modeled the infection and examined disease pathogenesis as well as immune responses. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the animal models for these infections and summarize studies that inform our current understanding of the pathogenesis and innate and adaptive immune responses against Chlamydia, N. gonorrhoeae, and HSV-2. We also summarize the progress that has been made toward vaccine development for each of these infections.