DIFFERENCES IN CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF GENITAL CHLAMYDIAL INFECTIONS RELATED TO SEROVARS

Objectives: To study the association of serovars of Chlamydia trachoma tis with clinical manifestations of genital tract infection and socio- demographic characteristics. Methods: In 1986-88 the C trachomatis iso lates from 159 heterosexual men and 116 women attending a sexually tra nsmitted disease (STD) clinic were collected and typed accordingly. A medical history was recorded, a physical examination took place and sa mples were taken for laboratory diagnostics. Results: Serovars E, F an d D were the most common for both men (75%) and women (67%). Men infec ted 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 additio n, women younger than 18 years at first intercourse were more often in fected with C-complex serovars (p = 0.05). For men, the serovars FIG l ess 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 Cram-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 wom en no differences were found in the clinical manifestation of infectio ns with different serovars.