Bacterium
Chlamydia trachomatis
Obligate intracellular bacterium
kluh-MID-ee-uh truh-KOH-muh-tis
High-yield clue
Obligate intracellular + elementary body/reticulate body vocabulary.
Overview
An obligate intracellular bacterium used to teach elementary/reticulate body vocabulary and NAAT testing terminology.
Classification
- Obligate intracellular bacterium
- Atypical cell-wall concept
Lab & identification clues
- NAAT vocabulary
- Intracellular inclusion concept
- Gram stain is not the main study anchor
Associations
- STI screening vocabulary
- Trachoma vocabulary
- Neonatal conjunctivitis vocabulary
Commonly confused with
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.