Chlamydia trachomatis DNA

General information:

Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia)

• Chlamydial infections take first place in the world in frequency and usually affect people of sexually active age.
• The most common age ranges are 25-45 years for men and 20-30 years for women. The relatively long incubation period and asymptomatic carriage are the reason for the large number of contaminations. The incubation period is difficult to determine in nearly 80% of cases, but it usually lasts from 4 to 15 days, during which time patients are contagious and this has significant epidemiological significance.

Preventive tests are essential for timely detection and treatment of chlamydial infection!

Types of infections:

• Eye infections-trachoma (chronic keratoconjunctivitis leading to blindness), conjunctivitis with inclusions
• Sexually transmitted urogenital infections in men - urethritis (acute and chronic), postgonococcal urethritis (in co-infection after treatment for gonorrhea), prostatitis, epididymitis, orchiepididymitis and proctitis. These complications occur in 35-50% of men and affect the young age 18-45 years. After complications, atrophy of the testicles, obliteration of the epididymis and the seminal canal can develop, which leads to disturbances in fertility (sterility). Co-infections with other microorganisms such as Ureaplasma, Mycoplasma, Trichomonas vaginalis are common. , bacteria.
• Sexually transmitted urogenital infections in women - cervicitis, endocervicitis, vaginitis, bartholinitis, endometritis, salpingitis, parametritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, abortion, stillbirth, inflammation of the placenta. Infections in women are often unrecognized - 50-70% are asymptomatic, tend to be chronic and often recur. Females also have co-infections with other pathogens. Salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes) is the cause of ectopic pregnancies and infertility.
• Disease Lymphogranuloma venereum
• Joint diseases - reactive arthritis (sexually acquired arthritis at a young age)
• Reiter's syndrome - triad of urethritis, arthritis, conjunctivitis
• Infections in newborns - conjunctivitis, pneumonia (atypical)

RISK GROUPS:

The main risk group are patients with multiple sexual partners and those with gonorrhea - tripper.

Asymptomatic carriage - without clinical manifestation is found in 15-20% of infected men and up to 65% of infected women.

CHLAMYDIA IN MEN:
Subacute urethritis is the most common presentation and occurs in > 50% of infected men. An isolated morning drop from the urethra and increased sensitivity or burning are noted in 20% of cases. The patient himself can contribute to the maintenance of the secretion by frequent squeezing of the canal. In nearly 15%, the clinic is characterized only by a pain syndrome without urethral secretion.
Acute urethritis - indistinguishable from acute gonococcal, is noted in no more than 5%, and the incubation period is usually very short (1-2 days).
Asymptomatic carriage is found in 15-20% of those infected.

Complications in men are most often the result of untreated or improperly treated urethritis, but their occurrence without evidence of such is not excluded.
Epididymitis is rarely bilateral, occurs in young individuals and is considered a key point in the pathogenesis of post-chlamydial sterility.
Prostatitis is also not rare, it can be subacute or chronic and be accompanied by pain and burning during ejaculation, and sometimes hemospermia - blood in the semen.

CHLAMYDIA IN WOMEN:
Regardless of the lack of specific clinical manifestations, chlamydia in women can affect all parts of the genital tract and cause severe and irreparable changes in it.
The most common clinical sign is an isolated vaginal discharge.
In only 10%, the infection manifests itself as subacute vulvovaginitis with varying degrees of secretion, itching, burning and dyspareunia-disturbances in urination.

Complications in women are serious. In contrast to the acute salpingitis-inflammation of the fallopian tubes, the chronic and asymptomatic development of the infection in the upper parts of the genital tract leads to sterility.
Chlamydial infection can also cause conjunctivitis - inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye, arthritic manifestations, pericarditis, mononeuritis, pharyngitis, stomatitis, glossitis and proctitis.

CHLAMYDIA AND PREGNANCY
An infected and untreated mother can transmit the infection to the newborn child during the delivery period, in which conjunctivitis, nasopharyngitis and/or pneumonitis and interstitial pneumonia develop.

Sample required:

Cervical secretion (taken by gynecologist, dry swab/in transport medium for PCR), urethral secretion (taken by specialist with urethral swab /in transport medium for PCR, ejaculate/prostate secretion (screw container), eye secretion (swab dry/in transport medium for PCR), joint punctate (by a specialist in a screw container);
Urine: first stream in screw container.
The PCR medium provides optimal conditions for material transport, increases quality and reduces the risk of false negative results!
The laboratory provides the environment free of charge upon patient/physician request. For PCR testing, the use of plastic/dacron/polyethylene swabs is recommended. Wooden and cotton swabs are not recommended.

Key words:

Chlamydia trachomatis, DNA