Chlamydial Infection.What is Chlamydial Infection? Chlamydial ("kla-MID-ee-uhl") infection is a curable sexually transmitted disease sexually transmitted disease (STD) or venereal disease, term for infections acquired mainly through sexual contact. Five diseases were traditionally known as venereal diseases: gonorrhea, syphilis, and the less common granuloma inguinale, (STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing) Long distance dialing outside of the U.S. that does not require operator intervention. STD prefix codes are required and billing is based on call units, which are a fixed amount of money in the currency of that country. ), which is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis. You can get genital chlamydial infection during oral, vaginal, or anal sexual contact with an infected partner. It can cause serious problems in men and women as well as in newborn babies of infected mothers. Chlamydial infection is one of the most widespread bacterial STDs in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. (CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation ) estimates that more than 4 million people are infected each year. Health economists estimate that chlamydial infections and the other problems they cause cost Americans more than $2 billion a year. What Are the Symptoms of This STD? Because chlamydial infection does not make most people sick, you can have it and not know it. Those who do have symptoms may have an abnormal discharge (mucus or pus) from the vagina or penis or pain while urinating. These early symptoms may be very mild. Symptoms usually appear within one to three weeks after being infected. Because the symptoms may be mild or not exist at all, you might not seek care and get treated. The infection may move inside the body if it is not treated. There, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infection of the female reproductive organs, usually resulting from infection with the bacteria that cause chlamydia or gonorrhea. (PID (1) (Process IDentifier) A temporary number assigned by the operating system to a process or service. (2) (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) The most common control methodology in process control. ) in women and epidydimitis in men, two very serious illnesses. C. trachomatis can cause inflamed rectum and inflammation of the lining of the eye ("pink eye"). The bacteria also can infect the throat from oral sexual contact with an infected partner. How Does the Doctor Diagnose Chlamydial Infection? Chlamydial infection is easily confused with gonorrhea because the symptoms of both diseases are similar and the diseases can occur together, though rarely. The most reliable ways to find out whether the infection is chlamydial are through laboratory tests. Usually, a doctor or other health care worker will send a sample of pus from the vagina or penis to a laboratory that will look for the bacteria. The urine test does not require a pelvic exam or swabbing of the penis. Results from the urine test are available within 24 hours. How is Chlamydial Infection Treated? If you are infected with C. trachomatis, your doctor or other health care worker will probably give you a prescription for an antibiotic such as azithromycin (taken for one day only) or doxycycline (taken for seven days) to treat people with chlamydial infection. Or, you might get a prescription for another antibiotic such as erythromycin erythromycin (ĭrĭth'rōmī`sĭn), any of several related antibiotic drugs produced by bacteria of the genus Streptomyces (see antibiotic). or ofloxacin. Doctors may treat pregnant women with azithromycin or erythromycin, or sometimes, with amoxicillin. Penicillin, which doctors often use to treat some other STDs, won't cure chlamydial infections. If you have chlamydial infection: * Take all of the prescribed medicine, even after symptoms disappear. * If the symptoms do not disappear within one to two weeks after finishing the medicine, go to your doctor or clinic again. * It is very important to tell your sex partners that you have chlamydial infection so that they can be tested and treated. What Can Happen if the Infection is Not Treated? In women, untreated chlamydial infections can lead to PID. In men, untreated chlamydial infections may lead to pain or swelling in the scrotal scrotal /scro·tal/ (skro´t'l) pertaining to the scrotum. scrotal pertaining to scrotum. scrotal abscess area, which is a sign of inflammation of a part of the male reproductive system located near the testicles Testicles Also called testes or gonads, they are part of the male reproductive system, and are located beneath the penis in the scrotum. Mentioned in: Testicular Cancer, Testicular Surgery, Vasectomy known as the epididymis epididymis /ep·i·did·y·mis/ (-did´i-mis) pl. epididy´mides [Gr.] an elongated cordlike structure along the posterior border of the testis; its coiled duct provides for storage, transit, and maturation of spermatozoa and is . Left untreated, these complications can prevent people from having children. Each year up to 1 million women in the United States develop PID, a serious infection of the reproductive organs. As many as half of all cases of PID may be due to chlamydial infection, and many of these don't have symptoms. PID can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes, which can block the tubes and prevent fertilization from taking place. Researchers estimate that 100,000 women each year become infertile because of PID. In other cases, scarring may interfere with the passage of the fertilized egg to the uterus during pregnancy. When this happens, the egg may attach itself to the fallopian tube. This is called ectopic ectopic /ec·top·ic/ (ek-top´ik) 1. pertaining to ectopia. 2. located away from normal position. 3. arising from an abnormal site or tissue. ec·top·ic adj. or tubal pregnancy. This very serious condition results in a miscarriage and can cause death of the mother. Can Chlamydial Infection Affect a Newborn Baby? A baby who is exposed to C. trachomatis in the birth canal during delivery may develop an eye infection or pneumonia. Symptoms of conjunctivitis conjunctivitis (kənjəngtəvī`təs), inflammation or infection of the mucosal membrane that covers the eyeball and lines the eyelid, usually acute, caused by a virus or, less often, by a bacillus, an allergic reaction, or an or "pink eye," which include discharge and swollen eyelids, usually develop within the first 10 days of life. Symptoms of pneumonia, including a cough that gets steadily worse and congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. , most often develop within three to six weeks of birth. Doctors can treat both conditions successfully with antibiotics. Because of these risks to the newborn, many doctors recommend that all pregnant women get tested for chlamydial infection. How Can I Prevent Getting Chlamydial Infection? You can reduce your chances of getting chlamydia or of giving it to your partner by using male latex condoms correctly every time you have sexual intercourse. If you are infected but have no symptoms, you may pass the bacteria to your sex partners without knowing it. Therefore, any doctors recommend that anyone who has more than one sex partner, especially women under 25 years of age, be tested for chlamydial infection regularly, even if they don't have symptoms. What Research is Going On? Scientists are looking for better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent chlamydial infections. NIAID-supported scientists recently completed sequencing the genome for C. trachomatis. The sequence represents an encyclopedia of information about the organism. This accomplishment will give scientists important information as they try to develop a safe and effective vaccine. Developing topical microbicides (preparations that can be inserted into the vagina to prevent infection) that are effective and easy for women to use is also a major research focus. For More Information About Chlamydial Infection Contact: CDC National Prevention Information Network PO Box 6003 Rockville, MD 20849-6003 1-800-458-5231 www.cdc.gov CDC National STD Hotline 1-800-227-8922 American Social Health Association P.O. Box 13827 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-9940 1-800-230-6039 www.ashastd.org NIAID NIAID National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. , a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH "Not invented here." See digispeak. NIH - The United States National Institutes of Health. ), supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and other sexually transmitted diseases Sexually transmitted diseases Infections that are acquired and transmitted by sexual contact. Although virtually any infection may be transmitted during intimate contact, the term sexually transmitted disease is restricted to conditions that are largely , tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies. Prepared by: Office of Communications and Public Liaison National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892 Public Health Service U.S. Department of Health and Human Services October 2000 NIAID Home | Publications | Search NIAID Las updated, January 13, 2001 (dlb) |
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