Chlamydiosis

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This is a general term given to diseases caused by the Chlamydia species i.e Ornithosis, psittacosi.

Chlamydia is a group of microbes which resemble both bacteria and viruses at the same time. We shall concentrate on the disease caused by species Chlamydia trachomatis. C. trachomatis is a small obligate intracellular bacterium found in two forms: the elementary body (EB) and the reticulate body (RB). The infectious form is the EB which lies outside cells.

Chlamydia infection is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD). This makes it an enormous health problem. Chlamydia can be transmitted during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Chlamydia can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby during childbirth. Any sexually active person can be infected with chlamydia. The greater the number of sex partners, the greater the risk of infection.

Young sexually active women are more susceptible to infection and severe complications after infection, since the cervix (opening to the uterus) of teenage girls and young women is not fully matured. Acute infection with Chlamydia can result in acute salpingitis and PID, whose long-term consequences include chronic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

In contrast men with asymptomatic infection serve as carriers of the disease, spreading the infection while only rarely suffering long-term health problems. Conjunctivitis and joint inflammation may occur.

Worldwide, the most important disease caused by C. trachomatis is trachoma that affects the inner upper eyelid and cornea and is one of the commonest infectious causes of blindness. The disease starts as an inflammatory infection of the eyelid and evolves to trachomatous trichiasis (at least one eyelash rubbing on the eyeball, or loss of interned eyelashes) and blindness due to corneal opacity.

Symptoms

Chlamydia Symptoms in Women:

  • an unusual vaginal discharge
  • pain or a burning sensation when passing urine
  • bleeding between periods
  • pain during sex or bleeding after sex
  • low abdominal pain sometimes with nausea

Chlamydia Symptoms in Men:

  • white/cloudy, watery discharge from the tip of the penis
  • pain or a burning sensation when passing urine
  • testicular pain and/or swelling

Chlamydia is known as a "silent" disease because about three quarters of infected women and about half of infected men have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure.

In women, the bacteria initially infect the cervix and the urethra (urine canal). Women who have symptoms might have an abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation when urinating. When the infection spreads from the cervix to the fallopian tubes (tubes that carry fertilized eggs from the ovaries to the uterus), some women still have no signs or symptoms; others have lower abdominal pain, low back pain, nausea, fever, pain during intercourse, or bleeding between menstrual periods. Chlamydial infection of the cervix can spread to the rectum.

Men with signs or symptoms might have a discharge from their penis or a burning sensation when urinating. Men might also have burning and itching around the opening of the penis. Pain and swelling in the testicles are uncommon.

 

Men or women who have receptive anal intercourse may acquire chlamydial infection in the rectum, which can cause rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding. Chlamydia can also be found in the throats of women and men having oral sex with an infected partner.

Prevention

The surest way to avoid transmission of STDs is to abstain from sexual contact, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.

Latex male condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of chlamydia.

CDC recommends yearly chlamydia testing of all sexually active women age 25 or younger, older women with risk factors for chlamydial infections (those who have a new sex partner or multiple sex partners), and all pregnant women. An appropriate sexual risk assessment by a health care provider should always be conducted and may indicate more frequent screening for some women.

Any genital symptoms such as an unusual sore, discharge with odor, burning during urination, or bleeding between menstrual cycles could mean an STD infection. If a woman has any of these symptoms, she should stop having sex and consult a health care provider immediately. Treating STDs early can prevent PID. Women who are told they have an STD and are treated for it should notify all of their recent sex partners (sex partners within the preceding 60 days) so they can see a health care provider and be evaluated for STDs. Sexual activity should not resume until all sex partners have been examined and, if necessary, treated.

 

 

Last modified onThursday, 25 July 2013 07:12
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