Introduction
The Netherlands has an enviable reputation for research in the
fields of microbiology and infection. This is well illustrated by
the papers presented in this supplement, which summarize a one-day
symposium on chlamydiae and chlamydial infections, held in
Amsterdam on December 17, 2004 at the Vrije University. Importantly
for the future of the field, the well-attended symposium included
papers by up-and-coming researchers as well as established
scientists. Globally, chlamydial infections are regarded as the
most common of bacterial sexually transmitted infections and are a
major cause of infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Locally, Holland
has recently been the focus of an unexpected outbreak of
lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), an invasive form of chlamydial
genital tract infection normally rare in Europe. The symposium was
therefore particularly timely in bringing together scientists and
health care workers from the region who are conducting research on
the organism or are responsible for the delivery of health
services. It was also the occasion to celebrate the collaboration
between Dr. Servaas Morré of the VU University Medical Center and
Joseph Lyons of the City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte,
California. This culminated in a formal defence by Joseph Lyons of
his doctoral thesis "An integrated approach to the study of
Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the female urogenital tract," a
condensed version of which is found in this supplement.