What is it and how is it passed on?
Chlamydia is one of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and is easily transmitted. It usually infects the genitals of both men and women, but can also infect the throat, rectum and eyes. It's particularly common in young people, but can affect anyone who's sexually active.
Chlamydia is mainly passed from one person to another through sexual activity such as:
- vaginal or anal sex with an infected partner
- oral sex, although this is less common
- sharing sex toys
It can also be passed from a mother to her baby at birth.
You can't catch chlamydia from kissing, hugging, sharing baths, towels, cups, plates, cutlery, or from toilet seats or swimming pools.
Signs and symptoms
Around 70% of women and 50% of men who have chlamydia show no symptoms at all; others may have symptoms so mild they aren't noticed.
Symptoms in women:
- an unusual vaginal discharge
- pain when passing urine
- bleeding between periods
- pain during sex or bleeding after sex
- low abdominal pain
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
Testing and treatment
The tests for chlamydia aren't usually painful but they may be uncomfortable. Either a urine test is done or a swab is taken from the urethra (the tube where urine comes out), the cervix (entrance to the womb), rectum, throat or eye.
Cervical smear tests and blood tests don't detect infections such as chlamydia.
Chlamydia is simple to treat with antibiotics, either a single dose or a course lasting up to two weeks. To avoid re-infection, any sexual partners should be treated too. If complications occur, another treatment may be needed.
Once chlamydia has been successfully treated, it won't come back unless a new infection is picked up.
What happens if it isn't treated?
Without treatment, the infection can spread to other parts of the body causing damage and serious long-term health problems.
In women, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This can lead to:
- ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside the womb)
- blocked fallopian tubes (the tubes which carry the egg from the ovaries to the womb), which can result in reduced fertility or infertility
- long-term pelvic pain
- early miscarriage or premature birth
Chlamydia can be safely treated during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but if untreated can cause an eye infection or pneumonia in the baby at birth.
In men, chlamydia can lead to:
- painful inflammation of the testicles, which may result in fertility problems
- Reiter's syndrome (inflammation of the joints, urethra and eyes)
Where to go for help and advice
You can talk to your GP or go to a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic. Such clinics diagnose and treat all STIs for free. They're completely confidential and your GP won't be informed without your consent. You can go to any clinic in the country for advice or treatment.
How to avoid STIs
1. Before you have sex, talk to your partner about how to protect yourselves.
2. A male or female condom can provide protection from most STIs if used correctly every time you have sex.
3. Become familiar with how to use condoms and have a supply ready.
4. Seek advice straight away if you think you've been at risk.
Chlamydia News:
Comparison of koala LPCoLN and human strains of Chlamydia pneumoniae highlights extended genetic diversity in the species - Conclusions:
We have identified strain-specific differences and targets for detection of C. pneumoniae isolates from both human and animal origin. Such characterisation is necessary for an improved understanding of disease transmission and intervention. (Source: BioMed Central)
Republished paper: The POPI trial: what does it mean for chlamydia control now? - (Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal)
Antibiotics for community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections secondary to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children. - CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to draw any specific conclusions about the efficacy of antibiotics for this condition in children (although one trial suggests macrolides may be efficacious in some children with LRTI secondary to Mycoplasma). The use of antibiotics has to be balanced with possible adverse events. There is still a need for high quality, double-blinded RCTs to assess the efficacy and safety of antibiotics for LRTI secondary to M. pneumoniae in children.
PMID: 20614439 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews)
Use of EHRs helps speed treatment of STDs - Practices using paper notes should consider switching to electronic health records to improve the
efficiency with which they recall and treat sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, according to
research conducted at the Patrick Clements Clinic, Central Middlesex Hospital, London. The results recently were
published online by the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. (Source: Modern Medicine)
Bad medicine: chlamydia - (Source: BMJ Online First)
Original research Evaluation of the level of antibodies against Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) pneumoniae in post-surgery heart ischaemia patients and their clinical conditions – a six-year study - Conclusions: These results show no connection between the serological symptoms of chronic C. pneumoniae infection and coronary complaints evaluated on the CCS scale during a six-year study on post-CABG patients suffering from heart ischaemia. The surgical treatment of heart ischaemia brought about long-term improvement in the coronary condition of the observed group of patients. (Source: Articles of Archives of Medical Science - TERMEDIA publishing house)
Combo Antibiotics Effective in Chlamydia-Induced Arthritis - A combination of antibiotics has been found effective in the treatment of Chlamydia-induced reactive
arthritis, and may hold promise for cure of the disease, according to research published in the May issue of
Arthritis & Rheumatism. (Source: Modern Medicine)
Chlamydia (uncomplicated, genital) - New evidence; conclusion confirmed for:
Erythromycin or amoxicillin (multiple-dose regimens) for pregnant women One systematic review added comparing erythromycin versus azithromycin; the review found no significant difference between azithromycin and erythromycin in rate of microbiological cure. Although rate of cure was higher with azithromycin, erythromycin was associated with a high cure rate. The review found that erythromycin was associated with a higher rate of GI adverse effects. Categorisation unchanged (Likely to be beneficial).
Antibiotics (single dose) for pregnant women One systematic review added comparing azithromycin versus erythromycin; the review found no significant difference between azithromycin and erythromycin in rate of mi...
Screening and treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis infections - (Source: BMJ Online First)
Randomised controlled trial of screening for Chlamydia trachomatis to prevent pelvic inflammatory disease: the POPI (prevention of pelvic infection) trial - Objective To determine whether screening and treating women for chlamydial infection reduces the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease over the subsequent 12 months.
Design Randomised controlled... (Source: BMJ Online First)
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