The Role of Chlamydiae in Genitourinary Disease

Abstract

The incidence of chlamydial organisms in early morning urine specimens obtained from 53 men and 50 women without evidence of urinary tract pathology was 2% in both groups. Early morning urine specimens and/or prostatic fluid or semen was examined in 70 patients with chronic prostatitis and 39 (56%) yielded this organism. Of 31 patients with epididymo-orchitis, the early morning urine specimens yielded chlamydiae in 12 (39%) and in those with the acute form of disease the incidence was 56%. The chlamydial recovery rate was 27% in 119 women with cystourethritis. Within these groups of patients .apprx. 50% of sexual partners had urine cultures positive for Chlamydia. The importance of reinfection and the need for careful treatment of patient and consort should be stressed. An appropriate transport medium is necessary for specimen collection and adequate culture facilities are required to achieve effective chlamydial recovery. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline were used effectively in this study for primary and secondary drug therapy.