Differences in clinical manifestations of genital chlamydial infections related to serovars.
OBJECTIVE
To study the association of serovars of Chlamydia trachomatis with clinical manifestations of genital tract infection and socio-demographic characteristics.


METHODS
In 1986-88 the C trachomatis isolates from 159 heterosexual men and 116 women attending a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic were collected and typed accordingly. A medical history was recorded, a physical examination took place and samples were taken for laboratory diagnostics.


RESULTS
Serovars E, F and D were the most common for both men (75%) and women (67%). Men infected with serovars of the C-complex had more often a history of STD (p = 0.06). The opposite was demonstrated in women (p = 0.07). In addition, women younger than 18 years at first intercourse were more often infected with C-complex serovars (p = 0.05). For men, the serovars F/G less often produced symptoms of urethral discharge (p = 0.01) than the serovars of the B-complex and C-complex and were less often associated with the presence of 10 or more leukocytes in a Gram-stained smear (p = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, infections with serovars F and G caused less obvious symptoms and signs of inflammation in men; in women no differences were found in the clinical manifestation of infections with different serovars.
van de Laar
M J
MJ
National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
van Duynhoven
Y T
YT
Fennema
J S
JS
Ossewaarde
J M
JM
van den Brule
A J
AJ
van Doornum
G J
GJ
Coutinho
R A
RA
van den Hoek
J A
JA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D052776:Female Urogenital Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D052801:Male Urogenital Diseases; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology