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- Chlamydial Testicular Swelling [Peterson, 2017]
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- Chlamydia in the Throat [Peterson, 2017]
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- Chlamydial Cervical Discharge [Peterson, 2017]
Chlamydia is a sexual transmitted disease that is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Although transmitted through sexual contact, ejaculation does not have to occur for the bacteria to be transmitted or acquired. Chlamydia trachomatis is a gram-negative, aerobic, intracellular bacterium (McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E). Unlike most bacterium, Chlamydia reproduces in two developmental stages, the elementary and reticulate body stage. First, the elementary bodies travels and attaches themselves to a host cell. They then enter the cell by endocytosis, where the bacterium engulfs the cell. Once inserted into the host, they develop larger into reticulate bodies, where they can reproduce through binary fission (Becker, 1996). This occurs when an organism duplicates its own genetic material into two separate organisms, allowing them to travel and infect neighboring cells.
The organs involved for reproduction in females include vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. For men, this includes the penis, scrotum, testes, epididymis, vas deferens, prostate, and seminal vesicles. These systems act to not only produce sex hormones, but sperm and egg that can be transported and nurtured to develop a fetus (McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E). Under normal physiological function, the vagina in females acts as a muscular canal between the uterus and the outside of the body. It is lubricated with clear to white vaginal discharge that serves to excrete bacteria or dead cells. When a female is affected by Chlamydia trachomatis, the bacteria travels up the vagina into the reproductive tract, causing infection and inflammation (McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E). The vagina will excrete abnormal clear or yellow, foul smelling discharge. Males have a urethral tract that allows for urine and semen excretion. Similar to females affected, men will begin to have abnormal yellow discharge with inflammation to the male reproductive organs.
Most people infected by Chlamydia trachomatis are asymptomatic. Because of this, many men and women neglect treatment until the bacteria has progressively spread. Clinical symptoms that can occur include burning while urination and abnormal genital discharge. If left untreated, women can develop pelvic inflammatory disease, which may lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancies. For men, epididymitis and prostatitis can occur. Depending on the type, some cause urogenital infection, ocular trachoma, or lymphogranuloma venereum (Peterson, 2017). In newborns, the eyes, nasopharynx, rectum, and/or vagina can be infected from passing the maternal cervix of an infected mother.
Different ways to diagnosis Chlamydia trachomatis include a tissue culture, direct chlamydial enzyme immunnoassay, fluorescein-labeled monoclonal antibody tests, and nucleic acid amplification testing. Nucleic acid amplification testing has proven to be the most sensitive and cost effective method for diagnosing, where it can also test for gonorrhea (McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E). A diagnosing sample can be obtained by urine, or acquired by cervical, penile, or rectal swab collection.
Chlamydia trachomatis can be treated by antibiotics such as Doxycycline or Zithromax. Depending on the type of chlamydia, as well as if the patient is pregnant or has allergies, the antibiotic course could last up to two weeks (Peterson, 2017). For treatment to be successful, all partners of the infected person should be treated. Those infected should sustain from sexual contact until they have a negative Chlamydia trachomatis screening. A patient should be screened for Chlamydia trachomatis three to four months after treatment to confirm the infection is gone.