Is Chlamydia Contagious?

The majority of men and women with chlamydia do not have symptoms.

Chlamydiais acontagious性病(sexually transmitted disease).Chlamydiabacteria cause the most common性病in the United States. Approximately 3,000,000 women and men become infected every year.Chlamydiais most common among women and men under the age of 25.

Chlamydiais caused by the gram-negative bacteria from the genusChlamydia(C. trachomatis; there are several other species). The organisms are thought to have originated about 700 million years ago and coevolved with mammalian cells so that the genome of the organism could utilize the chemical reactions inside human cells.

Unfortunately, the majority of men and women with chlamydia do not have symptoms. Therefore, they do not know they have the disease. The incubation period for chlamydia is quite variable and may range from days to months after the initial exposure. The average time from exposure to the development of symptoms is usually about one to three weeks after sexual contact with an infected person.

The signs andsymptoms of chlamydiainfections in women are usually irritation in the genital tract,vaginal discharge, andpainwith urination(cervicitis andurethritis).

• In men, chlamydia is characterized bypainwith urination,urinary frequency, and urethral discharge (urethritis).
• Other symptoms may develop, such as rectal irritation (proctitis), eye infections, andinfertility.
• Women can also develop chronicpelvic pain, salpingitis, andendometritis.
• Pregnantwomen infected with chlamydia can have ectopicpregnancies, pretermlabor, and preterm delivery, and their newborns can getconjunctivitis,otitis media, andpneumonia.

Infection with chlamydia is relatively easy to cure with antibiotics. Treatment protocols for uncomplicated chlamydial infections include a single 1-gram dose of oralazithromycin(Zithromax,Zmax). Another treatment option is 100 mg ofdoxycycline(Vibramycin,Oracea,Adoxa,Atridox, Acticlate, Doryx) orally twice a day for seven days.

Duringpregnancy,erythromycin(Eryc,Ery-Tab,E.E.S,EryPed,PCE) oramoxicillin(阿莫西林,Trimox,Moxatag,Larotid) is often used. After beginning treatment, most physicians suggest that patients with uncomplicated chlamydial infections (cervicitis, urethritis, and/or proctitis) are no longercontagiousafter about seven days. Tests that detect chlamydia in the urine and other secretions are available.

衣原体感染与th通过性接触传播e penis, vagina, anus and/or rectal area, and mouth of the infected individual. Occasionally, if the eyes are infected,ocularsecretions may contain transmissible bacteria. The organisms are simply transmitted by contact, usually by direct physical contact.

Chlamydia bacteria are easily spread. They spread from females to males and vice versa through sexual contact.

The most urgent time to seek medical care for chlamydial infection is when an individual ispregnantand has had recent sexual exposure to an infected individual and/or has developed early symptoms of chlamydial infection. Additionally, if individuals are experiencing any symptoms of chlamydial infections, they should seek medical care quickly. Sexual partners should be notified if they have had recent contact with an infected individual.

Patients withgonorrhea(Neisseria gonorrhoeae, causative agent ofgonorrhea) have a 30-50% chance of being coinfected with chlamydia. However, the reverse is not true. Patients with chlamydial infections have a less than 1% chance of being coinfected withNeisseria gonorrhoeae.