6 STIs: chlamydia Flashcards
what type of organisms are chlamydia?
obligate intracellular bacteria
what are the implications of chlamydia being an obligate intracellular bacteria?
they do not grow on routine laboratory media - has implications for diagnostic methods
what is the infective form of chlamydia?
the elementary body, which develops within the host cell into the reticulate body (having network of veins etc.)
what happens to the reticulate bodies of chlamydia which developed within host cells from elementary bodies?
reticulate body replicates eventually reverting back to elementary bodies, which leave the cell to infect other cells (process begins again)
how does chlamydia in females commonly present?
asymptomatic
where do the chlamydia organism in females infect and replicate?
infects and replicates within the epithelium of the cervix and urethra
what can ascending infections of chlamydia in females lead to?
if involves the upper genital tract, can result in clinical / subclinical pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
how do PID from ascending infections of chlamydia involving upper genital tract present?
as endometritis / salpingitis
what is a rare complication of PID from ascending chlamydia infection resulting in PID?
perihepatitis
what is perihepatitis?
inflammation of the serous or peritoneal coating of the liver
how do most cervical infections present?
asymptomatic
what is cervical infection an important cause of?
mucopurulent cervicitis
what can urethral infection lead to?
‘acute urethral’ syndrome = a sequel of urethral infection
how does urethral infection present?
dysuria (pain) and frequency
which age group do urethral infections most commonly present in?
young sexually active women
what is the most important cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in the western world?
chlamydia trachomatis
what is the major complication of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)?
tubal damage leading to infertility and ectopic pregnancy
what is a well-established cause of perihepatitis?
neisseria gonorrhoea
Chlamydia trachomatis also has a role to play
how does chlamydia infection in men usually present?
as urethritis
what is Reiters syndrome?
urethritis, conjunctivitis and arthritis are the classical triad manifestations associated with this syndrome
which gender is Reiters syndrome predominantly in?
male patients
what is Reiters syndrome a complication of?
acute epididymitis
what can Chlamydia trachomatis commonly cause in sexually active individuals?
ocular infections
eye infections
what is a source of Chlamydia trachomatis in neonate?
cervical infection in pregnant women
what is the most common infection in neonates?
conjunctivitis
what does untreated conjunctivitis from Chlamydia trachomatis in neonates lead to?
neonatal pneumonia
what is important about specimen collection of Chlamydia?
quality of specimen
as Chlamydia trachomatis is an intra cellular pathogen, it is essential that cell are present in the sample
how do you collect a specimen of Chlamydia trachomatis in males?
urethral swab
OR
first catch urine
how do you collect a specimen of Chlamydia trachomatis in females?
endocervical swab
urine
what is important when collecting an endocervical swab for Chlamydia trachomatis in females?
any pus is first removed from the cervix, and that good quality cellular material is obtained
when can urine be used in collecting a specimen of Chlamydia trachomatis in females?
may be used for molecular methods, but less sensitive than an endocervical swab
what is the potential value of using urine specimens in collecting a specimen of Chlamydia trachomatis in females?
for population screening, patients may provide their own specimens whereas an endocervical swab is time consuming
what are the cons of using endocervical swab in collecting a specimen of Chlamydia trachomatis in females?
requires a trained member of staff to take the specimen
less acceptable to the patient
what do you test for to check Chlamydia trachomatis in neonates?
eye swab
pneumonia
how do you carry out an eye swab to collect a sample of Chlamydia trachomatis in neonates?
remove any pus
invert eyelid and scrape conjunctiva surface to obtain cellular material
how do you test for pneumonia in neonates?
serology is useful
differential on WCC (white cell count) may show eosinophilia
