Chlamydia infection is a common sexually transmitted infection in humans caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. This pathogen is found only in humans. Chlamydia is a major infectious cause of human genital and eye disease. This infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide
Most people who have chlamydia have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with an infected partner. Even when chlamydia causes no symptoms, it can damage your reproductive system.
Women
Chlamydial infection of the neck of the womb (cervicitis) is asymptomatic for about 50-70% of women infected with the disease. The infection can be passed through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Of those who have an asymptomatic infection that is not detected by their doctor, approximately half will develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a generic term for infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries. PID can cause scarring inside the reproductive organs, which can later cause serious complications, including chronic pelvic pain, difficulty becoming pregnant, ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, and other dangerous complications of pregnancy.
Chlamydia is known as the “Silent Epidemic” because in women, it may not cause any symptoms in 70–80% of cases, and can linger for months or years before being discovered. Signs and symptoms may include abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge, abdominal pain, painful sexual intercourse, fever, painful urination or the urge to urinate more often than usual (urinary urgency).
Men
In men, those with a chlamydial infection shows symptoms of infectious inflammation of the urethra in about 50% of cases. If left untreated, chlamydia in men can spread to the testicles causing epididymitis, which in rare cases can lead to sterility if not treated within 6 to 8 weeks. Chlamydia is also a potential cause of prostatic inflammation in men, although the exact relevance in prostatitis is difficult to ascertain due to possible contamination from urethritis.
Eye disease
Chlamydia conjunctivitis or trachoma was once the most important cause of blindness worldwide, but its role diminished from 15% of blindness cases by trachoma in 1995 to 3.6% in 2002. The infection can be spread from eye to eye by fingers, shared towels or cloths, coughing and sneezing and eye-seeking flies. Newborns can also develop chlamydia eye infection through childbirth.
Symptoms
Women with symptoms may notice
- An abnormal vaginal discharge;
- A burning sensation when urinating.
Symptoms in men can include
- A discharge from their penis;
- A burning sensation when urinating;
- Pain and swelling in one or both testicles (although this is less common).
Men and women can also get infected with chlamydia in their rectum, either by having receptive anal sex, or by spread from another infected site (such as the vagina). While these infections often cause no symptoms, they can cause
- Rectal pain
- Discharge
- Bleeding
Test Options
CT/NG: Identification in a panel of 2 STI’s
QUAD: Identification in a panel of 4 STI’s
STI-9*: Identification in a panel of 9 STI’s
*The STI9 test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Caribbean Genetics. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or local regulations
Learn more about Chlamydia
http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/stdfact-chlamydia.htm
http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/guide/chlamydia
