Definition for Chlamydia
From Biology Forums Dictionary
The most common sexually transmitted bacterium is Chlamydia trachomatis. In males, infection can cause urethritis, painful urination, purulent discharge, epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymis) or orchitis (inflammation of a testis), and sterility. Infection is often asymptomatic in females. When newborns are infected at birth, an eye disease called trachoma develops. Trachoma is the leading nontraumatic cause of blindness worldwide. Lymphogranuloma venereum is a severe form of chlamydial STD characterized by a transient genital lesion at the site of infection, followed by development of a bubo (a painfully enlarged lymph node) in the groin, accompanied by fever, chills, anorexia, and muscle pain. Antimicrobial drugs are administered for genital infections, and newborns with trachoma are treated with erythromycin cream. Surgical correction of eyelid deformities may be necessary. Abstinence or mutual monogamy are the only preventives.