The role of chlamydiae in genitourinary disease

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 per cent in both groups. Early morning urine specimens and/or prostatic fluid or semen was examined in 50 patients with chronic prostatitis and 39 (56 per cent) yielded this organism. Of 31 patients with epididymo-orchitis the early morning urine specimens yielded chlamydiae in 12 (39 per cent) and in those with the acute form of disease the incidence was 56 per cent. The chlamydia recovery rate was 27 per cent in 119 women with cystourethritis. Within these groups of patients approximately 50 per cent of sexual partners had urine cultures positive for chlamydia. The importance of reinfection and the need for careful treatment of patients 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 the study for primary and secondary drug therapy.