Chlamydia trachomatis urethritis in men attending a venereal disease clinic: a culture and therapeutic study

Abstract

Urethral specimens from 459 male patients attending a venereal disease clinic were studied for presence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Of the 459 patients, 362 had symptoms suggestive of urethritis. In these 362, gonorrhoea was diagnosed in 78 (22%), while 88 (24%) harboured C. trachomatis; 15 harboured both organisms. Of those patients from whom C. trachomatis was isolated, 17% had no subjective symptoms of urethritis; the same percentage of symptomless carriers of gonococci was found. Watery discharge occurred more frequently in patients with chlamydial urethritis than in patients with gonorrhoea, while in the latter condition purulent discharge was more often found. Treatment with doxycycline for 9 days rendered 28 of 29 chlamydia-positive patients culture negative at control.

Gonorrhoea in heterosexual men. Correlation between gonococcal W serogroup, Chlamydia trachomatis infection and objective symptoms

“…HeterosexuaJ men infected with WI strains had less objective symptoms as judged by the number of leucocytes per high power field and by discharge, lhan men infected with W 11/111 strains (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). A high frequency of co-existing chlamydial infection in patients with gonorrhoea is well known (5,6,7). Approximately 20% of heterosexual men with gonorrhoea also have a chlamydial infection.…”