Epidemiologic and clinical studies of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in northeastern Poland

We tested a total of 735 men and women, who either had clinical symptoms of lower urogenital tract infection or were considered for epidemiological reasons to be at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases, for Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Microbiologic examinations were performed by tissue culture with cycloheximide-treated McCoy cells. C. trachomatis infection was diagnosed in approximately 50% of men with nongonococcal urethritis, 23.5% of men with gonococcal urethritis, 69% of men with postgonococcal urethritis, and in 45% of male partners of C. trachomatis-positive women. Among men under 35 years of age with epididymitis, C. trachomatis was isolated from 42%, whereas Neisseria gonorrhoeae was found in only 21 men. C. trachomatis was isolated from 59% of women with nongonococcal cervicitis, 46% of those with gonococcal cervicitis, and 74% of those with postgonococcal cervicitis. Among female partners of men with nongonococcal urethritis, 68% were C. trachomatis-positive, as were 73.5% of the female contacts of C. trachomatis-positive men. In the groups of men and women without clinical or epidemiologic evidence of sexually transmitted infection, C. trachomatis-positive cultures were obtained from 3.8% and 3.6%, respectively. These studies revealed that the prevalence of C. trachomatis infection in northeastern Poland is high and is similar to that reported in Western countries.