Abstract
Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is now considered to be the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection in the Western world, with the complications thereof now increasingly common. Recent isolation studies have shown that Chlamydia trachomatis is presently the leading aetiological agent in acute salpingitis and pelvic inflammatory disease, the sequelae of which are considered to be one of the main reasons for female infertility. Chlamydial infection has also been linked with ectopic pregnancy, prematurity, perinatal mortality and spontaneous abortions. Maternal carriage of chlamydial infection is also associated with high incidence of clinical illness in the offspring, as the bacteria can be transmitted from a cervically infected pregnant women to her neonate at delivery, resulting in infant pneumonitis, inclusion conjunctivitis, otitis media, gastroenteritis, rhinitis, nasopharyngitis, unspecified viral disease and general failure to thrive. In sexually active males, Chlamydia trachomatis is currently recognized as the leading cause of both epididymitis and urethritis and is therefore also considered to be one of the contributing factors in male infertility and subfertility. At the initial stage, chlamydial infection causes minimal discomfort, which allows it usually to go undetected for a very long time, until secondary or tertiary problems have already arisen. With the high prevalence of serious infectious disease such as this, cost-effective preventive measures, early detection and treatment are necessary.