When Chlamydia trachomatis, the bacterium that causes one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide, enters a human cell, it hijacks parts of the host to build protective layers around itself. Inside this makeshift fortress, the bug grows and reproduces, eventually bursting out in search of a new target and killing the host cell. While scientists have known for years that Chlamydia protects itself in this way, they were missing the mechanics until now.
