Epidemiologic and serodiagnostic aspects of chlamydial salpingitis

Cultural, serologic, and epidemiologic aspects of Chlamydia trachomatis in acute salpingitis were assessed. Of 111 patients, 52 (47%) harbored C trachomatis in the cervix urethra, or both. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated in 41 patients of 209 (20%). A majority (79%) of women with gonorrhea were also infected with C trachomatis. A fourfold titer rise of chlamydial IgG antibodies or significant IgM titer, or both, was demonstrated in 37 patients of 72 (51%) from whom paired sera were obtained. The serologic response distinguished 3 different phases of chlamydial infection: acute, subacute, and chronic or reinfection. The patients' male sex partners were examined on a voluntary basis, and C trachomatis was detected in 68%, indicating a need for effective partner examination and treatment.