by Alison Sloan

Created on: May 14, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

Simple facts about sexually transmitted Chlamydial infection.

What is Chlamydia?

Known as the Silent Epidemic, Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common of all sexually transmitted infections (STI). Chlamydia is a highly infectious bacterium, which is normally acquired by having unprotected vaginal, anal and/or oral sexual contact with an infected person, although, mothers with untreated Chlamydia, risk infecting their newborn babies when in labour. Conjunctivitis (pink eye) or even pneumonia can to develop in the infant, shortly after birth.

Chlamydia often presents as asymptomatic (without symptoms), any signs of infection can take one to three weeks to develop and even then, these can be very mild.

The majority of cases of infection prevail in the under 25's age bracket, with one in ten young girls, who request testing or are screened for Chlamydia, proving positive to the infection.

Although there are different types of Chlamydia bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis is the strain linked to STI infections.

One particular type of Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium is responsible for a form of blindness, accounting for the most infection-related sight loss, in developing countries.

The Symptoms of Chlamydia trachomatis.

If any symptoms are experienced in the early stages of infection, these are usually mild, resembling other common uro-genital conditions and are often ignored or go unnoticed.

Chlamydial infection can affect any of the female reproductive organs including the vagina, cervix (neck of womb), fallopian tubes (tubes leading from ovaries), ovaries (stores human ova or eggs), urethra (tube leading to bladder) and in males the penis and epididymis (tubes that stores sperm). Anal penetration can infect anus or/and rectum. Oral sex can cause infection in the throat. Neonate infections are most commonly in the eyes (conjunctivitis) and in some cases pneumonia.

Mild symptoms include - milky (mucous) or yellow (pus) vaginal discharge in women, painful intercourse, milky or yellow discharge from penis in men and pain or burning when passing urine in both genders.

Other more severe symptoms can be fever, bleeding between periods, lower abdominal pain, lower back pain and frequency in passing urine in women.

Men can suffer swollen or tender testicles.

Diagnosing Chlamydia

Along with a detailed medical and sexual history, the Doctor will take swab from the infected area/s, i.e. the vagina, cervix, tip of penis, anus, eyes or throat and sent to the

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