Infection by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common sexually transmitted disease, infecting an estimated three to four million people each year; nicknamed the “Silent STD.” Symptoms are initially mild or even absent altogether, dangerously so, because the infection can lead to serious complications, often before people are aware they have the disease. The most serious complication is pelvic inflammatory disease (P1D), a major cause of infertility in women. In men, infection can cause inflammation in the urinary tract (medically called nongonococcal urethritis or NGU) or other parts of the reproductive system. Men and women who do have symptoms (generally starting one to three weeks after exposure) may have pain during urination, a discharge of mucus or pus from the penis or vagina, and sometimes lower abdominal pain. Chlamydia may also cause infection elsewhere in the body, such as the rectum, the lining of the eye (conjunctivitis]), or the lymph nodes in the groin (lymphogranuloma venerum, or LGV).
A collection of contagious illnesses brought about by chlamydiae, a cluster of bacteria that can solely replicate by infiltrating the cells of another organism.
Two primary types of chlamydiae, specifically the leading culprits behind human afflictions, give rise to diseases. Thankfully, effective remedies in the form of antibiotic medications exist to combat these infections.
One of the notable chlamydiae species, namely Chlamydia Trachomatis, assumes responsibility for various sexually transmitted infections. It is accountable for approximately half of all instances of nongonococcal urethritis in males and pelvic inflammatory disease in females. Additionally, it possesses the capability to induce trachoma, a tropical ocular ailment.
Another chlamydiae species, known as Chlamydia Psittaci, carries the burden of causing psittacosis. This particular infection manifests as a rare type of pneumonia, which is transmitted to humans from avian sources.