Review Article
Indian J Med Res 138, September 2013, pp 303-316
Genital Chlamydia trachomatis: An update
Meenakshi Malhotra*, Seema Sood, Anjan Mukherjee, Sumathi Muralidhar*
& Manju Bala*
Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences & *Regional STD Teaching,
Training & Research Center, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjang Hospital,
New Delhi, India
Received August 11, 2011
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common cause of curable bacterial sexually transmitted infection
(STI) worldwide. It manifests primarily as urethritis in males and endocervicitis in females. Untreated
chlamydial infection in man can cause epididymitis and proctitis. Though most women with Chlamydia
infection are asymptomatic or have minimal symptoms, some develop salpingitis, endometritis, pelvic
inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy and tubal factor infertility. It is associated with an
increased risk for the transmission or acquisition of HIV and is also attributed to be a risk factor for the
development of cervical carcinoma. Early diagnosis and treatment of infected individuals is required
to prevent the spread of the disease and severe sequelae. Traditionally, tissue culture was considered
the gold standard for the diagnosis. However, with the availability of newer diagnostic techniques
particularly molecular methods which are not only highly sensitive and specific but are cost-effective
also, the diagnosis has became fast and easy. The purpose of this review is to study the various aspects
of genital C. trachomatis infection. Also the advances related to the clinical picture, various diagnostic
modalities, prevention, treatment, drug resistance and control measures will be dealt with.
Key words Chlamydia trachomatis - epidemiology - genetics - immunology - treatment
of complications2 - ascending intraluminal spread of
organism from cervix producing pelvic inflammatory
disease (PID); ascending infection during pregnancy
resulting in premature rupture of the membrane,
chorioamnionitis, premature delivery and puerperal
and neonatal infections (conjunctivitis and possibly
intestitial pneumonia); and also an increased risk of
the development of cervical carcinoma2. A 3- to 4-fold
increased risk of transmission of HIV is an added cause
Introduction
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common
bacterial sexually transmitted infections worldwide1,
and women carry the major burden of the disease. These
women are also a potential source of infection to their
partners. It causes urethritis in men and mucopurulent
cervicitis, urethritis, and endometritis in women.
Mucopurulent cervicitis can lead to at least three types
303
304 INDIAN J MED RES, september 2013
of concern3. The incidence of chlamydial infections
in women has increased dramatically from 79 to 467
per 100,000 between 1987 and 20034. According to
the World Health Organization (WHO)1, 101 million
chlamydial infections are detected annually worldwide.
The clinical presentation, course, complications and late
sequelae of C. trachomatis closely resemble Neisseria
gonorrhoeae infection.
C. trachomatis is also considered to be a leading
cause of PID and female infertility worldwide. More
than 13.5 per cent of women less than 25 yr old infected
with C. trachomatis have lower genital tract infection,
reducing to 4.4 per cent in women 25 yr and above5. In
USA, approximately 20-30 per cent of PID cases have
been attributed to C. trachomatis6. Recent studies from
India have revealed the prevalence of C. trachomatis
infection to be 23 per cent in gynaecology outpatient
department (OPD)7 and 19.9 per cent in STD patients8.
It has been recovered from 30-60 per cent cases
of salpingitis and PID9 patients in India, while seroprevalance is shown to be higher in at least one recent
study10. An estimated 15-40 per cent of women with
cervical chlamydial infections develop PID11. Twenty
per cent of women who develop PID become infertile,
18 per cent develop chronic pelvic pain, and nine per
cent have a tubal pregnancy12.
Neonates are also at risk while passing through the
contaminated birth canal during parturition. Screening
young women for Chlamydia has been proven to
be a cost-effective method of preventing PID. The
US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)13
recommends that all women aged ≤24 yr receive
routine screening for Chlamydia. However, insufficient
evidence was found to recommend for or against routine
screening for chlamydial infection in asymptomatic
males13.
The challenge being faced in the control of
chlamydial disease is that as many as 70-80 per cent of
women and up to 50 per cent men have asymptomatic
infection14. This results in a large reservoir of
unrecognized, infected individuals who are capable
of transmitting the infection to their sexual partners.
Further, the sequelae of C. trachomatis infection in
women, namely PID, infertility and ectopic pregnancy,
is the most costly outcome of any STD except HIV
or AIDS15. This review covers the various aspects of
genital chlamydial infection as also the clinical picture,
various diagnostic modalities, prevention, treatment
and control measures.
Chlamydia trachomatis - the microorganism
Chlamydiae are spherical or ovoid obligate
intracellular bacteria that are ubiquitous. Intracellular
parasitism of Chlamydia differentiates it from other
bacteria. Unlike viruses, Chlamydiae possess both
DNA and RNA, multiply by binary fission rather
than self-assembly, contain their own ribosome, have
a peptidoglycan free cell wall and are susceptibile to
various antimicrobial agents16.
Immunopathogenesis
C. trachomatis is a strong immunogen, which
stimulates both humoral and cell mediated immune
responses. In addition to the immunogenic antigens,
the outcome of chlamydial infection depends on
interaction and balance of cytokines secreted by the
activated lymphocytes. Interferon gamma (IFN-Оі)
has been described as a single most important factor
in host defense against Chlamydia, while disease
susceptibility has been linked with enhanced expression
of Interleukin- 10 (IL-10)17. Immune system changes or
disturbances induced by C. trachomatis may favour its
own survival in the infected host, and induce persistent
infections.
C. trachomatis infection may be primary or a
chronic recurrence/ re-infection.
(i) Primary infection: A serial infection of the
mucosal cells is seen during the primary infection.
The damaging and infected epithelial cells secrete
numerous pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines,
including IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, granulocyte - macrophage
colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), growth regulated
oncogene, and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFО±)18,19. The released cytokines cause vasodilatation,
increased endothelial permeability, activation and
influx of neutrophils, monocytes and T-lymphocytes,
and elevated expression of adhesion molecules. In
addition, it stimulates other cells to secrete cytokines.
Neutrophils appear to play a role in reducing the
initial amplification of C. trachomatis and possibly
in limiting the spread within the female genital tract.
IL-1 is secreted initially by the undamaged cells and
stimulates the secretion of other cytokines from other
non-infected cells, like TNF-О±20. During the same
period, Chlamydia passes via lymphatic vessels to local
lymph nodes. The decaying epithelial cells release a
few elementary bodies which are phagocytosed by
neutrophills through phagolysosomes.
T lymphocytes mainly T helper cells (Th1) play
an important role during early phase of infection,
MALHOTRA et al: GENITAL CHLAMYDIA
which, due to Chlamydia antigen-induced activation,
secrete IFN-Оі, necessary for infection regression. It
increases the potential of various phagocytes to destroy
Chlamydia and stimulates the secretion of other
cytokines, including IL-1. IL-1, in turn, by stimulating
the secretion of IL-2 by Th1 cells causes increased
replication of cytotoxic lymphocytes and natural
killer cells21. The role of secretory IgA has also been
established in the neutralization of primary infection22.
An intimate relationship between chlamydia and the
host immune system has been described by Paavoven23.
It has been observed that a single acute episode of
chlamydial infection cannot lead to serious sequelae
associated with this infection, persistent infection may
be responsible for the grave consequences.
(ii) Chronic infection - recurrence/reinfection:
Chronic infection, associated with persistence
of Chlamydia in the host cells, recurrent
infection or reinfection are more dangerous. A
delayed hypersensitivity reaction or rarely type
3 hypersensitivity reactions (Arthus reaction) is
observed in long term or recurrent stimulatory action
of chlamydial antigens23. Antibodies are not involved
in the delayed type of reaction developing within 24-48
h due to antigen interaction with specifically sensitized
Th1 lymphocytes. Processes which occur during these
reactions lead to tissue damage, fibrosis and cicatrization
within the affected organs. Irreversible consequences
like PID leading to mechanical infertility, ectopic
pregnancy, chronic pelvic pains and chronic urethritis
may occur. After a single episode of salpingitis about
one in 10 patients become infertile because of tubal
occlusion. After 2-3 episodes, infertility ensues
in about 35-70 per cent cases. In several studies,
repeated chlamydial infection was associated with
PID and other reproductive sequelae, although it was
difficult to determine whether the risk per infection
increased with recurrent episode25. Lack of treatment
or improper therapeutic management may result in
chronic infection. A significant role of dietary factors
like insufficient supply of tryptophan, L-isoleucine,
and cysteine in diet, as well as certain cytokines like
INF-Оі, TNF-О±, transforming growth factor has been
observed26.
Formation of atypical chlamydial forms in
vitro has been demonstrated in INFОі treated cells.
The atypical forms26 are large, non-infectious, have
reduced metabolic activity, and do not replicate, yet
remain alive. Such atypical forms display decreased
levels of chlamydial major outer membrane protein
305
(MOMP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens but
continue with high production of chlamydial heat
shock protein 60 (hsp60), which is capable of inducing
chronic inflammation and scarring. Chronic and occult
infections pose several diagnostic and therapeutic
problems. Due to the variable antigenic structure of
atypical forms, the routine diagnostic methods do not
always identify them. Moreover, these forms have
reduced MOMPs which lead to decreased transport of
antibiotic across the cell. Therefore, in case of chronic
infections, therapy frequently results in failure.
Reinfection is due to the repeated infection, while
recurrence is caused by the presence of a Chlamydia
reservoir in the lymph node and spleen26. Macrophages
have been found to play an important role in the
recurrence of infection as C. trachomatis circulates
within the macrophages, finding a temporary shelter
in the lymph nodes, spleen and serous cavities. It has
been observed that recurrences were more frequent in
young patients with prolongation of the active period
in comparison with patients in older age group27. The
less common spread of infection in the older age group
has been attributed to low exposure to C. trachomatis
and by physiological changes which reduce sensitivity
to the acquisition26.
Risk factors and demographic factors for Chlamydia
trachomatis infection
The most common demographic correlate16 of
infection with chlamydial infection in women is young
age (<20 yr). This could be explained by the anatomic
differences in the cervix of the younger women,
wherein the squamo-columnar junction, a primary host
target for C. trachomatis, is everted and thus more
exposed. Other factors associated with chlamydial
infection include unmarried status, nulliparity, black
race and poor socio-economic condition28. A large
number of sexual partners, a new sexual partner, lack
of use of barrier contraceptive devices and concurrent
gonococcal infection are also known to be associated
with chlamydial infection29. Cervical chlamydial
infections are also found to be associated with the use
of oral contraceptives29.
Epidemiology
C. trachomatis was detected in 23.0 per cent of
patients attending gynaecology OPD7 and among 19.9
per cent patients attending STD clinic in a study from
New Delhi8.
306 INDIAN J MED RES, september 2013
In Mumbai, in a study conducted in female sex
workers (FSW) and married contacts, attending a STD
clinic 23.2 per cent chlamydial positivity was found30.
In a study from Aligarh31, C. trachomatis was detected
in 28.1 per cent of infertile women. The prevalence
of C. trachomatis in asymptomatic and symptomatic
women attending a gynaecology clinic at Delhi was 4
and 30.4 per cent, respectively32.
Urinalysis will reveal the presence of >5 WBC/HPF
(high power field), which is suggestive of urethritis13.
Chlamydial infections cannot be distinguished from
other urethral infections clinically. Amine test (i.e.,
significant odour release on addition of KOH to the
vaginal secretion) can help differentiate chlamydial
infections from other lower genital tract infections but
has a low specificity.
Anti-chlamydial IgG antibodies were present
in 68 per cent of women with infertility, 50 per cent
with bad obstretic history (BOH) and 10 per cent of
healthy pregnant women, in a study conducted in
Amritsar district in Punjab, India33. Joyee et al34 found
the prevalence of Chlamydia in STD patients to be
30.8 per cent, while in another study, prevalence of C.
trachomatis infection in male patients with urethritis
was found to be 17.5 per cent35.
Chlamydial infection in males manifests as urethritis
in 15-55 per cent of the affected less than or equal to
35 yr, occasionally epididymitis may be seen2. Mild to
moderate clear to white urethral discharge is seen in
the morning before the patient voids. In epididymitis,
history of unilateral testicular pain with scrotal
erythema, tenderness or swelling over the epididymis
may be elicited. The diagnosis can be established by the
presence of mucopurulent discharge from penis which
on Gram staining shows >5 WBC/HPF and absence
of intracellular Gram negative diplococci. Reiter’s
syndrome may be a rare complication of untreated
chlamydial infection. A reactive arthritis that includes
triad of urethritis/cervicitis in females, conjuntivitis
and painless mucopurulent eruption on palms and soles
of feet is seen in Reiter’s syndrome29. Female are more
commonly affected than males. There is asymmetrical
multiple joint involvements with predilection for lower
extremities.
A study from UK36 has shown that health care
settings had higher prevalence estimates than population
based studies. Among less than 20 years, prevalence
estimates were 17.3 per cent in genitourinary clinics,
12.6 per cent in antenatal clinics, 12.3 per cent in
termination of pregnancy clinics, 10.7 per cent in
youth clinics, 10.0 per cent in family planning clinics
compared to 5.0 per cent in population based studies.
Vuylsteke et al37 reported 7.3 per cent prevalence of C.
trachomatis in females attending STD/genitourinary
clinic in Belgium. In Europe38, C. trachomatis infection
prevalence was estimated to be 5 to 12 per cent for
women undergoing termination of pregnancy. Studies
in Latin America show C. trachomatis prevalence
rates of 1.9 to 4.5 per cent in Chile, Peru, Brazil, and
Mexico39,40 and 12.2 per cent41 in women attending
family planning clinics in Jamaica.
Diagnosis
Clinical diagnosis: Clinical picture of the patients
suffering from chlamydial infection could be misleading
as up to 70-80 per cent of the infected women and
50 per cent of the infected men are asymptomatic.
Typically, a female with uncomplicated chlamydial
infection will present with odourless, mucoid vaginal
discharge without pruritis. Dysuria without frequency
or urgency will be complained of if urethra is involved.
Further, in PID, history of severe abdominal pain
with high fever, dyspareunia, prolonged menstrual
cycles and intermenstural bleeding can be elicited. On
examination, cervicitis with a yellow, cloudy, mucoid
discharge can be seen from the os. The cervix tends
to bleed easily when scraped with spatula or brush.
Laboratory diagnosis: Asymptomatic nature of the
disease and the increasing spectrum of infections
caused by C. trachomatis emphasize the need for the
sensitive and reliable laboratory methods.
Proficiency in specimen collection and transport
is paramount to accuracy in diagnostic testing. Both
the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests for
C. trachomatis have been shown to be directly related
to the adequacy of the specimen. The host cells that
harbour the organism should be included in the
specimen collection as the chlamydiae are obligate
intracellular pathogens, especially in techniques
involving direct visualization of the organism.
The choice of sampling sites can influence the
likelihood of recovering the pathogen. A 10-20 per
cent increase in the recovery of C. trachomatis from
genital tract has been observed if both cervical and
urethral specimens are taken in comparison to cervical
sampling only42. Endocervical swab, vaginal/introital
swab, vulval swab as well as urethral and rectal swab
and first catch urine are the common samples taken
from the female patients. Urethral and rectal swab
MALHOTRA et al: GENITAL CHLAMYDIA
and first catch urine sample can also be collected from
male patients in addition to other specific samples like
prostatic fluid.
Quality assurance of collection and transport of the
specimen: Specimen adequacy can be determined
by visualization of squamo-columnar cells during
microscopy. A specimen is considered adequate if it
contains one columnar/ metaplastic cell per slide. The
likelihood of isolation is optimized if the specimen is
refrigerated immediately after collection at 2-8ЛљC. The
time between sample collection and processing should
ideally be less than 48 h, if that is not possible these may
be frozen at -70 ЛљC until processed16. Foetal bovine serum
(2-5%) helps to preserve the viability of chlamydiae in
specimen, which is to be frozen. Two-molar sucrose
phosphate (2-MSP) or sucrose glutamate phosphate are
the most commonly used transport medium. Synthetic
transport media for culture and some non- culture tests
have been developed and approved for diagnostic use,
i.e. M4 transport medium, Flex Trans medium and new
M4 synthetic/universal medium.
The laboratory diagnosis of Chlamydia consists of
the following methods:
(i) Specific tests
Cell culture: Isolation of the organism is the definitive
method for the diagnosis of chlamydial infection.
Chlamydia is an obligate intracellular pathogen and,
therefore, requires embryonated hen’s egg or animal cell
lines for culture. Such culture methods are technically
difficult, labour intensive, cumbersome and expensive,
and have not been widely adopted as a routine test
performed in general clinical laboratories. However,
three in vitro systems have been used for culture of
chlamydiae viz. mouse inoculation (intraperitoneal,
intracranial and intravenous), yolk sac-inoculation
(7-8 day old chick embryo yolk sac inoculation) and
cell-culture lines16. The most commonly used cell lines
include- HeLa 229 cells, McCoy cells, BHK21 and
BGMK cells24.
The sensitivity of cell culture for isolation of
chlamydiae is enhanced by the pre-treatment of cell
by polycations, DEAE-dextrans, centrifugation of the
inoculum on to the cell monolayer and incorporation of
anti-metabolites such as cycloheximide or cytochalasin
B into the cell culture medium42. Cell monolayer for
culture of C. trachomatis is grown in drum or shell
vials on glass coverslips or in the wells of multiwell
cell culture dishes. The shell vial method is more
sensitive for clinical specimen than multiwell cell
307
culture due to less chances of cross-contamination42.
Prior to inoculation, the specimen should be sonicated
to disrupt the host cells and to separate chlamydial
inclusions. To inoculate the cell cultures, the overlying
culture medium should be removed and replaced with
enough of specimen in the culture transport medium to
cover the monolayer and prevent drying.
The most commonly used growth medium is Eagles
Minimal Essential Medium (EMEM) supplemented
with amino acids and vitamins, foetal calf serum
(5-10), extra glucose (0.056 m) and 2-glutamine42.
After inoculation, the cultures are incubated at 37oC for
2-3 days. The chlamydial inclusions are then observed
by immunofluorescent staining. The sensitivity of the
isolation has been shown to range from 70-85 per cent
depending on the laboratory and the culture system
used. Traditionally, this is the “gold standard” for
the diagnosis of C. trachomatis as it is 100 per cent
specific42. Unfortunately, it is beyond the capabilities of
most private and public laboratories due to its technical
demand, labour intensity and high cost.
Direct fluorescent test (DFA): The DFA test adds the
considerable advantage of Chlamydia specific antibody
staining to direct examination of specimen and remains
one of the most useful diagnostic techniques. In this
test, rapid identification of elementary bodies in smears
with flourescein isothiocynate- conjugated monoclonal
antibodies (FITC-Mab) against MOMP or genus
specific LPS are used. Elementary bodies appear as
distinct, sharply outlined, apple green, disk shaped
(300 nm) particles and reticulate bodies appear about
three times larger than elementary bodies having a
fluorescing halo.
This procedure does not require stringent conditions
for specimen transportation as a bed side smear is
prepared and subsequently transported for processing.
With the use of MOMP of C. trachomatis the sensitivity
and specificity of DFA is found to be 80-90 per cent and
98-99 per cent, respectively in relation to culture43. The
high specificity of DFA is attributed to its dependence
on the visualization of distinctive morphology and
staining characteristics of chlamydial inclusions. The
DFA is the only diagnostic test available that permits
simultaneous assessment of specimen adequacy by
visualization of epithelial cells present in the smear.
It is rapid and simple (turnaround time about 30 min)
but microscopic examination and interpretation of
results requires expertise. This method is, therefore,
recommended for low volume laboratories. This test
can also be applied to extragenital sites. It is reported
308 INDIAN J MED RES, september 2013
to be more sensitive than culture for the detection of
Chlamydia in endometrial or tubal specimen42.
ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbant assay): ELISA
is available for the detection of C. trachomatis antigen.
Several commercially available ELISA kits are
available for the purpose. Most of these detect
chlamydial LPS which is more soluble than MOMP.
The enzyme immunoassay (EIA) tests have been
reported to have a sensitivity of 62-96 per cent and
a specificity of 86-99 per cent in comparison to cell
culture44. This test is suitable for laboratories without
access to cell culture. However, different large and
small studies across the world including India have
reported poor sensitivity of ELISA in comparison to
DFA and PCR45-47.
Cytology: Cytology is an easily available, simple
to use and cost-effective diagnostic test. It does
not require precautions for specimen storage and
transport, and non-viable/non-infectious particles can
also be detected. The quality of the clinical specimen
can be assessed by the microscopic technique and
the technical procedures used in these tests are
usually quicker and simpler to perform than culture.
Giemsa, immunoflourescence and iodine staining
methods are most commonly used. Other stains like
immunoperoxidase, immunoferritin, May Grunwald,
Giemenez, Macchiavello and acridine orange can also
be used for detecting chlamydial inclusion in exfoliated
cells. The presence of intracytoplasmic inclusions
is pathogonomic for chlamydial ocular infections in
neonates, however, this method is not recommended for
diagnosing conjunctivitis or genital infection in adults
due to the lack of sensitivity. Of the three methods,
immunofluorescence offers the highest sensitivity
followed by Giemsa and then iodine staining42.
Molecular methods: The traditional methods of
diagnosis have several limitations which include low
sensitivity, long testing time and high cost. Therefore,
tests based on the direct recognition of DNA and RNA
sequences are devised. The commercially available
DNA probe for the detection of Chlamydia is PACE
2 test (Probe Assay Chemiluminescence Enhanced)48,
capable of detecting Neisseria gonorrhoeae also,
which is a non-isotopic DNA probe for the detection
of specific parts of r-RNA of C. trachomatis in the
endocervical and urethral specimen. Another DNA
probe, PACE 2C test has also been developed which
simultaneously detects both C. trachomatis and N.
gonorrhoeae from a single specimen; however, further
evaluation of PACE 2C is required before its use in
diagnostics. These tests employ a chemiluminescent
DNA probe that hybridizes to a species- specific
sequence of chlamydial 16S rRNA. Once the DNArRNA hybrid is formed, it is adsorbed onto a magnetic
bead and the chemiluminescent response is detected
quantitatively with a luminometer. Since actively
dividing chlamydiae contain up to 104 copies of 16S
rRNA, the PACE 2 test should theoretically be more
sensitive than antigen detection systems. The sensitivity
of PACE 2 relative to a DNA amplification standard
has not yet been well evaluated but has been reported
to be 77 to 93 per cent48 in one study.
The development of tests based on nucleic acid
amplification technology (NAAT) has been the most
important advancement in the field of chlamydial
diagnosis since in vitro cell culture techniques replaced
the yolk sac for culture and isolation of the organism
from clinical specimens. NAAT is at least 20-30 per cent
more sensitive (capable of detecting as little as a single
gene copy) and 100 per cent specific49,50. It offers the
opportunity to use non-invasive samples like urine to
screen for infections in asymptomatic individuals who
would not ordinarily seek clinical care. This is a critical
advantage, since the majority of chlamydial infections
in women and a significant proportion of infections
in men are asymptomatic. The most widely known of
the DNA amplification technologies is PCR. PCR can
be genus, species, group, or strain specific depending
on the primer design. Genes targeted for diagnosis of
C. trachomatis are the MOMP gene, the endogeneous
plasmid, the phospholipase gene and the 16S and
23S rRNA gene. Since all nucleic acid amplification
technologies detect nucleic acid targets, these do not
depend on either viability or an intact state of the target
organism for a positive result. Hence, transportation of
sample is not a critical issue49. Although it has not been
well studied, the “window” for the culture-negative,
PCR positive state following therapy with doxycycline
appears to last up to 3 wk29. After this time, patient
specimens become both culture and PCR negative.
The PCR test for detection of C. trachomatis
developed by Roche Diagnostics, Basel Switzerland
(Roche-Amplicor) was the first PCR test to be approved
by the FDA in the United States51. Since 1993,
Amplicor PCR has been relatively well evaluated for
both urogenital and urine specimens, with an overall
sensitivity and specificity of 90 and 99 to 100 per cent,
respectively51. Amplicor PCR is approved for cervical,
male urethral and male urine specimens.
MALHOTRA et al: GENITAL CHLAMYDIA
With the explosion of molecular biology techniques
newer assays like the m2000 system (Abbott) as well as
strand-displacement amplification (SDA) (BD ProbeTec
strand displacement amplification developed by Becton
Dickinson and Company, Diagnostic Systems, Franklin
Lakes, N.J.) and transcription-mediated amplification
(TMA) (APTIMA system by Gen-Probe, Inc., San
Diego) became available for C. trachomatis. Although
popular in the developed countries, their high initial
and maintenance cost prevent their use in resourcepoor settings.
The burden of C. trachomatis organisms in the
genital tract (chlamydial load) can be detected
by quantitative real-time PCR and can vary from
10 to over a million organisms/ml of genital tract
secretions52. This is likely to influence the performance
of different nucleic acid amplification tests, which do
not routinely distinguish between people with high
and low chlamydial loads. Differences in chlamydial
load have been reported to be associated with the
presence of clinical symptoms, the transmissibility
and persistence of infection, and the risk of developing
chronic sequelae53. Hence, there is a critical role
of quantification in the diagnosis and treatment of
chlamydial infections.
The NAATs are the most sensitive tests for the
screening and diagnosis of chlamydial and gonococcal
infections of the genital tract54-56. However, doubts
regarding their performance in low prevalence areas
are reported57,58. In 2002, the CDC recommended to
confirm all positive NAATs for C. trachomatis when
the positive predictive value of the test is <90 per cent59.
However, the true specificities of NAAT methods are
found to be >99 per cent54,55.
The CDC has also suggested several possible
strategies for confirmation59 which include (i) testing a
second specimen with a different NAAT having equal
or higher sensitivity to the first test, (ii) performing a
different NAAT having equal or higher sensitivity to
the first test targeting a different nucleic acid sequence
on the original specimen, (iii) repeating the original test
on the original specimen, and (iv) bringing the patient
back for a retest.
However, limitations described are that most
clinicians will not collect two samples for the same
evaluation, nor is it feasible to bring back the patient
to collect another sample, and most laboratories do not
have the facilities / capability to perform two different
NAATs.
309
The concept of confirmatory testing is not new57.
However; it complicates the handling of a NAAT
positive sample and adds cost to an already expensive
screening test. Also, there is still room for improving
the sensitivity of NAATs, perhaps by better specimen
preparation, automation, or target concentration.
(ii) Non-specific tests
Leukocyte esterase (LE) test is a rapid dipstick test
for use with urine specimens. This test is designed to
detect urinary tract infections by detecting the enzyme
produced by the polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells.
Positive LE test results occur with infections caused by
a number of different agents including C. trachomatis
and N. gonorrhoeae.
The sensitivity of the LE test for detection of C.
trachomatis infection varies widely from 31 to 100 per
cent, and specificities range from 83 to 100 per cent60.
The LE test has been considered the best screening test
for adolescent males and, according to most reports,
should not be used for testing specimens from women
or older men due to unsatisfactory performance.
(iii) Rapid point of care (POC) tests
Rapid tests, also called “point-of-care” tests
for C. trachomatis employ EIA technology in
formats based primarily on membrane capture or
latex immunodiffusion. Rapid tests are performed
in physician’s offices, do not require sophisticated
equipment, and can be completed in about 30 min.
Results are read visually and are thus qualitative.
Though several kits are commercially available, but
none has been well evaluated. In general, the rapid
tests are significantly less sensitive and specific than
laboratory-performed EIAs. Compared with PCR, the
sensitivity and specificity of the Clearview test (Unipath
Ltd., UK) were 53.8 and 99.1 per cent, respectively,
with endocervical swab specimens, and 31.1 and 95.2
per cent with vaginal swab specimens from Filipino
women61. The rapid tests offer an advantage over
conventional laboratory tests only when results are
required immediately for patient management. Rapid
tests should not be used in a low-prevalence population
or for asymptomatic individuals due to the potential for
false-positive results. The results of a rapid test should
always be considered presumptive and, if positive,
should be confirmed by a laboratory-performed test.
In conclusion, although culture is 100 per cent
specific, its estimated sensitivity may be as low as 50
per cent. Majority of laboratories have moved away
310 INDIAN J MED RES, september 2013
from culture due to the expense involved, time and
technical difficulties. Thus, instead of culture as a
diagnostic gold standard, the expanded gold standard/
defined reference standard, i.e., commonly consistent
result with two non-culture techniques is considered to
be useful as research tool43.
(iv) Serology
The serological tests are generally not useful in
the diagnosis of genital tract infections caused by C.
trachomatis. Antibodies elicited by C. trachomatis
infection are long lived and a positive antibody test will
not distinguish a previous from a current infection.
New variant of Chlamydia trachomatis
A new variant Chlamydia trachomatis (nvCT)
strain has been recently isolated in Sweden (2006)62,
which has a 377 bps deletion in a portion of the
plasmid that is the target area for some of the NAATs.
Consequently these tests often give false negative
results when presented with this strain. Therefore, it
is important to select primers for NAAT carefully
particularly those targeting the endogenous plasmids.
The symptoms and treatment of this strain do not differ
from those for normal chlamydiae. So far, this strain has
been found in Sweden and Norway. The clinicians and
microbiologists should remain vigilant for suspicious
negative results as well as unexplained fall in positive
results. However, other commercially available NAAT
systems that use a different sequence (Gene Probe
Aptima Combo AC 2, Probe Tech, BD, etc.) accurately
detect this agent.
Chlamydia trachomatis and pelvic inflammatory
disease
Twenty per cent of the women with chlamydial
lower genital tract infection will develop PID63 and 4
per cent will develop chronic pelvic pain2. The clinical
spectrum of chlamydial PID ranges from subclinical
endometritis to frank salpingitis, tubo-ovarian masses,
pelvic peritonitis, periappendicitis and perihepatitis.
However, symptomatic chlamydial infections represent
only the tip of the iceberg of all chlamydial infections
as majority of genital chlamydial infections are
asymptomatic.
Chlamydia trachomatis and pregnancy
The prevalence of C. trachomatis infection in
pregnant women ranges from 2-35 per cent42. Pregnant
women with chlamydial infection are at increased
risk for adverse outcomes of pregnancy and post-
partum PID. Sequelae like still birth, low birth weight,
neonatal death, decrease gestational periods, preterm
delivery and premature rupture of membranes (PROM)
have been reported16. Nine per cent of the women
with chlamydial infection who develop PID have
tubal pregnancy59. Early pregnancy loss or recurrent
pregnancy loss may be induced by asymptomatic
chlamydial infection through the operation of immune
mechanism.
Chlamydia trachomatis and infertility
Chlamydial PID is the single most important
preventable cause of infertility. Approximately, 3 per
cent women with chlamydial genital tract infection
develop infertility. After a single episode of PID, the
risk of tubal factor infertility is approximately 10 per
cent, each repeat episode doubles the risk64. Although
the majority of patients are asymptomatic but reinfection/persistent infection with C. trachomatis leads
to more severe tubal damage than other agents.
The role of C. trachomatis in the development of
urethritis, epididymitis and orchitis in men is widely
accepted. Though the role of this organism in prostatitis
is controversial, but up to 35- 50 per cent incidence
has been reported in patients with prostatitis65.
Infection of the testes and the prostrate is implicated
in the deterioration of sperm (decrease sperm motility,
increase proportion of sperm abnormalities, significant
reduction in sperm density, sperm morphology and
viability and increased likelihood of leucocytospermia)
affecting fertility. Chlamydial infection may also affect
the male fertility by directly damaging the sperm as
sperm parameters, proportion of DNA fragmentation
and acrosome reaction capacity are impaired. However,
the role of C. trachomatis in male infertility is not yet
proven.
Chlamydia trachomatis and HIV
Chlamydial infection of the genital tract facilitates
the transmission of HIV. This is confirmed by various
studies12,15,23. The combined epidemiology of these
infections may partly be due to the fact that STDs
including C. trachomatis and HIV have common
sexual/ behavioural risk factors. But, C. trachomatis
and HIV have inter-relationship independent of the
sexually transmissible risk factors34. The possible interrelationship between HIV infection and C. trachomatis
includes (i) the invasive intracellular pathogenesis of C.
trachomatis can cause substantial damage to the genital
epithelial layer that may facilitate HIV infection, and
MALHOTRA et al: GENITAL CHLAMYDIA
(ii) the immunological changes due to HIV infection
may favour chlamydial infection.
On the other hand, immunosuppression due to
HIV may lead to more aggressive chlamydial disease
conditions like PID in those who are infected. Thus,
early diagnosis and treatment of chlamydial infections
are important to prevent HIV risk and devastating
clinical consequence.
Chlamydia trachomatis and co-infection with other
STI/ RTI/ infections
C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae are the two most
common bacterial causes of lower genital tract infection.
Clinical findings need to be corroborated with the
laboratory investigations as the signs and symptoms of
both are indistinguishable. Therefore, in the syndromic
approach used in resource-limited settings, urethral
discharge (UD) is simultaneously treated for both. C.
trachomatis is recovered more often from women who
acquire gonorrhoea than from similarly exposed women
who do not acquire gonorrhoea. In individuals with
gonorrhoea, there exists a 15-40 per cent higher risk of
acquiring Chlamydia. Further, individuals infected with
both C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae shed larger
number of C. trachomatis than those infected with C.
trachomatis alone. These data suggest that acquisition
of a gonococcal infection either reactivates a persistent
chlamydial infection or increases the susceptibility
of the host to Chlamydia. Post-gonococcal urethritis
is often due to C. trachomatis infection which is not
cured by conventional therapy against gonorrhoea. Coinfection of C. trachomatis with N. gonorrheae has
been reported to range between 1.1 to 67 per cent66-70.
In a study in STD patients in New Delhi, 19.9
per cent prevalence of C. trachomatis was observed9.
The co-infection of C. trachomatis with bacterial
vaginosis was found to be 12.7 per cent, candidiasis in
10.9 per cent cases, syphillis in 3.6 per cent cases and
chancroid in 1.8 per cent cases. However, co-infection
with N. gonorrheae was not found. Two cases with
multiple infections were also reported (i.e. one with C.
trachomatis, Candida albicans, HIV and syphilis and
the other with C. trachomatis, C. albicans, HIV and
bacterial vaginosis). In another study, the prevalence
of C. trachomatis in STD patients was found to be 30.8
per cent34. Thirty per cent of the Chlamydia infected
cases had HIV infection, while the analysis revealed
that 50 per cent of the HIV positive cases happened to
be proven C. trachomatis positive cases.
311
Prevention of Chlamydia trachomatis infection
The control of STD is a public health priority and
the importance of these infections has increased in
salience over the past decade, with the growing evidence
of co- transmission of HIV. The CDC guidelines59 for
the prevention and control of STDs are based on five
major concepts: (i) Education and counselling on safer
sexual behaviour in persons at risk. (ii) Identification
of asymptomatic infected persons and of symptomatic
persons unlikely to seek diagnostic and treatment
services. (iii) Effective diagnosis and treatment of
infected persons. (iv) Evaluation, treatment and
counselling of sex partners of persons infected with
a STD. (v) Pre-exposure immunization for vaccine
preventable diseases.
The CDC strongly recommends that all sexually
active women (≤25 yr) and women at increased risk of
infection should be routinely screened for Chlamydia.
However, screening for chlamydial infection is not
recommended for men, including those who have
sex with other men71. Prevention of C. trachomatis
infection can be done at primary, secondary and tertiary
levels. Primary prevention involves preventing both
exposure to and acquisition of chlamydial infection
through lifestyle counselling and health education.
Clinicians play an important role by enquiring about
the risk taking sexual behaviour, by encouraging
screening tests for those at risk, by ensuring that
partners are evaluated and treated and by counselling
about safe sex practices. Effective school based
health programmes should be implemented among
adolescents. Unfortunately, primary prevention has
not gained popularity especially in the developing
world72. Secondary prevention means early detection
of asymptomatic disease by screening in order to
prevent the drastic sequelae of chlamydial infection.
Chlamydial infection fills the general pre-requisite for
disease prevention by screening, since these are highly
prevalent, are associated with significant morbidity, can
be diagnosed, and are treatable. Recent advances like
testing non-invasive specimen, utilization of nucleic
acid amplification tests and single dose therapy using
azithromycin further enhance the efforts to prevent
chlamydial infection. Tertiary prevention of acute and
chronic chlamydial infection of the upper genital tract
has largely failed because by the time patient becomes
symptomatic substantial tubal damage already
occurs.
312 INDIAN J MED RES, september 2013
Treatment of urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis
infection
The treatment of chlamydial infection depends on
the site of infection, the age of the patient, and whether
the infection is complicated or not. Treatment also
differs during pregnancy.
Uncomplicated infection: The CDC recommends
1 g azithromycin orally in a single dose, or 100 mg
doxycycline orally twice a day (bd) for seven days
for uncomplicated genito-urinary infection. Alternate
regimens include erythromycin 500 mg orally four
times a day (qid) or ofloxacin 300 mg orally (bd) for
seven days.
Compared with the conventional therapy,
azithromycin has advantage of having better compliance
being administered in the physicians’ chamber. All the
other regimens have similar cure rates and adverse
effect profiles. Patients should be instructed to
abstain from sexual intercourse for seven days after
the treatment initiation. Both the partners should be
treated simultaneously in order to prevent re-infection
of the index patient. Patient need not be re-tested after
completing the treatment, unless the symptoms persist
or re-infection is suspected.
Chlamydial infection with PID: Recurrent chlamydial
infection increases the risk for developing ectopic
pregnancy and PID. PID can be treated on an outpatient
basis unless indicated (accompanied by severe illness,
nausea, vomiting, high-grade fever, tubo-ovarian abcess
or intolerance or unresponsiveness to oral therapy).
The CDC has recommended ofloxacin 400 mg orally
(bd) or levofloxacin 500 mg orally once a day (od) with
or without metronidazole 500 mg orally (bd) for two
weeks. In case of intolerance to the above mentioned
regimen, ceftriaxone 250 mg intramuscular (im) or
cefoxitin 2 g (im) as a single dose with concurrent
probenicid 1 g orally in single dose plus doxycycline
100 mg orally (bd) with or without metronidazole 500
mg orally (bd) for two weeks13.
Treatment during pregnancy: Levofloxacin, ofloxacin
and doxycycline are contraindicated during pregnancy.
Therefore, azithromycin 1 g orally in a single dose
or amoxycillin 500 mg orally thrice a day (tds) is
recommended. Amoxycillin is reported to be more
effective and with fewer side effects than erythromycin
in treating antenatal chlamydial infection. Alternatively,
erythromycin base 500 mg orally (qid) is a safe and
effective alternative13. Testing for cure is indicated in
patients who are pregnant and should be performed
three weeks after completion of treatment. If the risk
of re-exposure is high, screening should be repeated
throughout pregnancy.
Multidrug resistant and heterotypic resistant
Chlamydia trachomatis
In 1980, Mourad et al73 were the first to report
the reduced sensitivity to erythromycin. Decreased
sensitivity to tetracycline was first reported by Jones
et al74 in 1997. They identified five isolates from cases
of tubal infertility which had minimum inhibitory
concentration (MICs) to tetracycline of 4 to >8 mg/l,
compared with control MICs of 0.125 to 0.25 mg/l.
The isolates were also resistant to erythromycin,
clindamycin and sulphonamide, but sensitive to
ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin. Tetracycline resistance
was also reported from France in 199775. In 2000,
Somani et al76 reported multidrug resistant isolates of
C. trachomatis associated with treatment failure with
azithromycin.
The characteristics of antibiotic resistance of C.
trachomatis differ significantly from those of other
bacteria in several ways. First, because chlamydiae are
intracellular pathogens, antimicrobial susceptibility
must be determined by their ability to proliferate within
a host cell in the presence of varying concentrations of
antibiotic. Second, unlike the case for most bacteria,
when C. trachomatis organisms are found to be
resistant to typically effective antibiotics such as
tetracycline, the resistance is not absolute. In fact, C.
trachomatis displays what is known as “heterotypic
resistance” in vitro; that is, the chlamydial population
contains both susceptible and resistant organisms.
Thus, although it is possible that all organisms within
a population may be capable of expressing resistance,
only a small proportion does so at any one time.
Testing for the MCC (defined as lowest concentration
of drug that permitted no inclusions to be formed on
passage on an antibiotic free medium) may allow the
small percentage of organisms that were resistant to
the first exposure to antibiotic (MIC) to then multiply
and form inclusions76. Heterotypic resistance exhibited
by some C. trachomatis strains, therefore, may be
missed unless both MIC and MCC testing is done.
In strains that exhibit heterotypic resistance, many
aberrant inclusions are seen, and the proportion of
atypical to typical inclusions gradually increases along
with a decrease in the overall number of inclusions
until all inclusions become aberrant or absent, which
is reinforcing the fact that the resistance exhibited by
individual organisms within the chlamydial population
MALHOTRA et al: GENITAL CHLAMYDIA
is heterogenous (defined as heterotypic resistance).
The mechanisms underlying heterotypic resistance in
C. trachomatis is not known. It is hypothesized that
multidrug resistance in C. trachomatis is phenotypic
in nature rather than genotypic76. Also, heterotypic
resistance may be a byproduct of some undefined
alteration of the growth rate or life cycle, resulting
in a longer phase or intermediate stage that is more
refractory to the antimicrobial agents. Alternatively,
it may be mediated by some kind of mechanisms that
exclude the drug from cell wall or chlamydial inclusion
(e.g. efflux pump)76. Further studies are required to
prove these hypotheses.
There are no data regarding management of
clinically resistant C. trachomatis infection. In vitro
data suggest that resistance to ofloxacin imparts
resistance to other fluoroquinolones, such as
ciprofloxacin. Although many of the newer quinolones,
including trovafloxacin, sparfloxacin, grepafloxacin
and tosufloxacin have equal or greater MICs for C.
trachomatis, these need to be tested against an ofloxacinresistant strain74,77. Perhaps a prolonged course of
therapy with a standard agent such as doxycycline or
azithromycin would be effective against resistant C.
trachomatis disease, because such therapy has been
efficacious against C. pneumoniae infection in cases of
relapse78.
Azithromycin 1 g immediately and doxycycline 100
mg twice daily have shown good antimicrobial activity
against C. trachomatis and studies have demonstrated
>95 per cent microbiological cure at 2-5 wk, with
antimicrobial resistance being hardly reported72.
However, there are evidences of multidrug resistance
to C. trachomatis in women with high bacterial load
but not in men who had been sexually inactive after
treatment72.
Vaccines
Vaccination could be substantially more effective
than other biomedical interventions in controlling
epidemics of Chlamydia infection. Currently, the best
public health intervention available is increasing the
rate of screening and treating infected individuals.
Administrating a protective vaccine to adolescents
before their first sexual experience could induce a
significant reduction in prevalence which could not be
obtained by screening teenagers, even with a coverage
of 100 per cent79. Unfortunately, no protective vaccines,
either fully or partially, are available although there have
been many attempts to develop one. The immunological
characteristics of the genital tract and the tropism of
313
Chlamydia for mucosal epithelial cells emphasize that
a C. trachomatis vaccine must induce both mucosal
and systemic protective responses80. The research goal
for an efficacious human chlamydial vaccine has faced
key challenges to define the elements of protective
immunity to facilitate vaccine evaluation, the judicious
selection of appropriate vaccine candidates that
possess stable antigenic and immunologic properties
and the development of effective delivery vehicles and
adjuvants to boost immune effectors to achieve long
term protective immunity. Progress in the functional
immunobiology of Chlamydia has established the
essential immunologic paradigms for vaccine selection
and evaluation, including the obligatory requirement
for a vaccine to induce T- helper type 1 immune
response that controls Chlamydia. Major inroads are
however, required in the construction and development
of novel and effective delivery systems, such as vectors
and adjuvants.
Conclusion
Role of C. trachomatis in serious genitourinary
complications in women and men is widely accepted.
Further, it has been found to facilitate the acquisition
and transmission of HIV infection. Information is
now available on cell biology, bacterium- host cell
interactions, disease producing mechanisms, host
defense evading factors, transmission sources and
antimicrobials used for treatment. Despite these
advances, there are many lacunae which need to be
addressed. Asymptomatic infection in the majority
coupled with re-infection, recurrent and latent infections
are the major challenges to the control of this bacterial
STI. The best available intervention today is the early
detection by screening and treatment of infected
cases and their sexual partners. However, the ultimate
intervention - the development of an effective vaccine
is still far away and further research is required.
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Reprint requests:Dr Seema Sood, Additional Professor, Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of
Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110 029, India
e-mail: seemalsood@rediffmail.com
