Intracellular reticulate bodies of this gram-negative bacterium convert to elementary bodies that can infect a new host cell.

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the bacterium described: It is a gram-negative bacterium that has two forms—reticulate bodies and elementary bodies.
2. Understand the life cycle: The reticulate bodies are the metabolically active, intracellular form that replicates inside host cells.
3. Recognize the transformation: Reticulate bodies convert into elementary bodies, which are the infectious, extracellular form capable of infecting new host cells.
4. Recall the genus associated with this life cycle: This characteristic is typical of bacteria in the genus Chlamydia.
5. Name the specific intracellular form: The intracellular reticulate bodies are called 'reticulate bodies' and the infectious form is called 'elementary bodies' in Chlamydia species.

Key Concepts

Chlamydia Life Cycle

Chlamydia bacteria have a unique developmental cycle involving two forms: the infectious elementary bodies (EBs) and the replicative reticulate bodies (RBs). RBs multiply inside host cells and then convert back into EBs, which are released to infect new cells.

Elementary Bodies

Elementary bodies are the small, infectious, and metabolically inactive form of Chlamydia. They are adapted for survival outside host cells and initiate infection by attaching to and entering new host cells.

Reticulate Bodies

Reticulate bodies are the larger, metabolically active, non-infectious form of Chlamydia that replicate within the host cell's cytoplasm. After replication, they transform into elementary bodies to continue the infection cycle.