Chlamydia, a genus of bacterial parasites that cause several different diseases in humans. The genus is composed of three species: C. psittaci, which causes psittacosis; Chlamydia trachomatis, various strains of which cause chlamydia, trachoma, lymphogranuloma venereum, and conjunctivitis; and C. pneumoniae, which causes respiratory-tract infections.
Sexually transmitted disease caused by C. trachomatis is characterized primarily by nongonococcal urethritis (infection of the urethra) in males and females and epididymitis (infection of the epididymus) in males. In men, nongonococcal urethritis has symptoms similar to those of gonorrhea. A gonorrhea-like discharge from the penis is the most prominent symptom. Painful urination may occur but is usually less prominent than with gonorrhea. The symptoms of nongonococcal urethritis appear one to four weeks after the infection has been contracted through sexual intercourse.
A chlamydial infection ordinarily produces few if any symptoms in women. There may be a slight vaginal discharge and pelvic pain. If untreated, however, C. trachomatis can seriously infect the cervix (causing cervicitis), the urethra (causing urethritis), or the fallopian tubes (causing salpingitis), and it can also cause pelvic inflammatory disease. Infection of the fallopian tubes can cause sterility, and a chlamydial infection also leads to a higher risk of premature births, ectopic pregnancies, and postpartum infections. A woman with an infected cervix may give birth to infected newborns who can develop pneumonia or the eye disease known as neonatal conjuctivitis.
C. pneumoniae was identified as a separate Chlamydia species in the 1980s. It causes various respiratory-tract infections, most commonly a mild, atypical pneumonia with symptoms of fever, cough, and sore throat.
In diagnosis it is important to eliminate gonorrhea as a cause for the symptoms. Specific tests for chlamydia include smears and cultures. The preferred treatment for chlamydial infections is tetracycline. Erythromycin and sulfonamide drugs have also been effective in treating the infections. Appropriate treatment produces a speedy recovery.