Clinical manifestations of genital infection due to Chlamydia trachomatis in women: differences related to serovar

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 19; no. 4; p. 756
• Main Authors: Workowski, K A, Stevens, C E, Suchland, R J, Holmes, K K, Eschenbach, D A, Pettinger, M B, Stamm, W E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.1994
• Subjects: Adult; Chlamydia Infections - diagnosis; Chlamydia Infections - physiopathology; Chlamydia trachomatis - classification; Chlamydia trachomatis - isolation & purification; Female; Genital Diseases, Female - diagnosis; Genital Diseases, Female - microbiology; Genital Diseases, Female - physiopathology; Humans; Multivariate Analysis; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - diagnosis; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - microbiology; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - physiopathology; Serologic Tests; Serotyping
• ISSN: 1058-4838
• DOI: 10.1093/clinids/19.4.756

The relationship between the infecting Chlamydia trachomatis serovar and the clinical manifestations of genital tract infection was evaluated in a study of 155 women attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic; 99 women had lower genital tract infection and 56 had Chlamydia-associated pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). In the group with lower genital tract infection, women with serovar F differed from those with serovars of class B or C in that they exhibited fewer signs of cervical infection, including easily induced bleeding (P = .04), edema of the zone of cervical ectopy (P = .06), and colposcopic evidence of mucopurulent endocervical discharge (P = .007). Serovar F also produced fewer infections with inclusion counts of > or = 1,000 and fewer rectal infections (P = .04). There was no apparent association of any specific serovar with PID. Thus, in this population, serovar F was associated with fewer objective clinical manifestations of mucopurulent endocervical discharge, and the distribution of chlamydial serovars found in PID reflected that found in lower genital tract infection.