How is chlamydia transmitted ? This is a common question. We will understand it in more detail.
Chlamydia is a group of infectious diseases caused by microbes of the genus Chlamydia. Their specific type - Chlamydia trachomatis - affects the nervous system of women and men, causing them to have urogenital chlamydia - an infectious disease that spreads through sexual contact. Chlamydia infections should be known to everyone.
Characteristic
Chlamydia is an infectious disease that is sexually transmitted. Chlamydia is causing it. This is one of the most common pathologies transmitted through intimate communication. One hundred million people become infected every year with this kind of infection, while the number of those infected with chlamydia is about a billion. Every year the number of victims of the disease increases, which is associated with the absence of its specific symptoms, which at the initial stage do not appear. Many people wonder if chlamydia is transmitted through a kiss. This is possible if you kiss immediately after oral sex.
Chlamydia
Chlamydiae are cocciform Gram-negative immobilized organisms, affecting mainly the genitourinary system. These organisms can parasitize for a long time in the cells of the human body. This possibility is reinforced by the fact that they can “hibernate” under the influence of colds, antibiotics and hypothermia. In addition, dormant chlamydia during cell division is transmitted to daughter cells. In this case, a way out of a sleeping state is carried out only with absolute inhibition of the protective forces of the human body. So how is chlamydia transmitted?
Infection methods
Infection with such an infection occurs through sexual contact, but, unlike gonorrhea, when an infected partner can infect three out of four partners, one partner of the same quantity is infected with chlamydia. The most susceptible to this pathology are women.
The main route of chlamydia infection is through anal or vaginal intercourse. The duration of the incubation period of this disease can vary from two weeks to a month. A child may also become infected while passing through the birth canal if the woman is sick. There is a likelihood of infection and contact-household method. According to the analysis, chlamydia can persist on household items or tissues for up to two days at a temperature of 19-20 degrees Celsius. How chlamydia is transmitted can be checked with your doctor.
2 forms
Chlamydia has two forms of residence in the human body: as infectious bodies inside the cell, as well as outside the cell. They are much like a virus, they also depend on cellular energy and nutrients that exist in organs and tissues. They are similar to bacteria in that they multiply by division and contain RNA and DNA.
Consider the symptoms of chlamydia.
The main manifestations in women
Chlamydia often occurs either without any symptoms, or they do not get a vivid expression. There are specific manifestations that are characteristic of men, and those that occur in women. So, how is chlamydia manifested?
Patients with chlamydia, in some cases, complain of the appearance of mucopurulent or mucous discharge from the vagina. They have a purulent yellowish color and an unpleasant odor. In some cases, pain is noted in the area of the external and internal genital organs, and at the same time they may intensify before the onset of menstruation. Often, patients complain of itching and burning of the external genital organs. In some cases, women experience pain during urination, sometimes bleeding between critical days. Often there are signs of general intoxication, expressed in an increase in body temperature to 37.5 degrees and general weakness.
The following are symptoms of chlamydia in men.
Characteristic signs in men
In men, with chlamydia, the urethra, the urethra, becomes inflamed at the onset of the disease. Often, representatives of the stronger sex are disturbed by insignificant vitreous discharge from the urination channel. In addition, itching, burning and pain appear. As in women, the temperature may rise slightly, general weakness is observed. Some men complain of spotting during ejaculation, as well as at the end of urination. Often a person can be a carrier of infection if microcolonies of chlamydia remain on his mucous membranes, the detection of which is possible only during the implementation of high-precision research methods. A similar situation may be due to the fact that the human immune system inhibits the reproduction of these microorganisms.
Can I get chlamydia through a condom? If it is used correctly, then infection is impossible.
Diagnostic methods
Detecting the presence of chlamydia is quite complicated, because such microorganisms are parasites inside the cell, and to diagnose this disease, you need to analyze scraping - cells of an inflamed organ. Sperm, urine and blood are also examined. The simplest diagnostic method is a mini-test for chlamydia, which can be bought at any pharmacy. But the accuracy and reliability of this method is only 20%, that is, relying on its results is still not worth it.
In many gynecological departments and state polyclinics, a smear is taken from the uterine neck, vagina and external opening of the urination channel, all at once. In men, a smear from the urethra is taken and then analyzed. But the accuracy of such a study is 15%.
It is recommended to use such a diagnostic method as RIF - immunofluorescence reaction. With this method, a study is carried out of the material taken from the urethra or cervical canal, and analysis is carried out under a fluorescence microscope. Chlamydia give out their presence by glow in the microscope objective. RIF research provides accuracy up to 50%. But it will be useful only when the disease is already in the most active stage.
The most accurate method for detecting the presence of chlamydia is the method of polymerase chain reaction, or PCR. The accuracy of this method reaches one hundred percent.
What causes chlamydia, now we know.
Treatment
Currently, there are many different safe and effective antibiotics that make it possible to reduce the duration of therapy to 2-3 weeks, which differs significantly from the previous period of two months.
In order to cure chlamydia in women, it is necessary to use such drugs that have the ability to enter the cells, for example, macrolides. These drugs include Erythromycin and Oleandomycin. At this stage, new generation drugs are used that do not differ in spectrum of influence from erythromycin known to many. At the same time, new drugs are characterized by improved pharmacokinetics and a high level of safety. The funds prescribed for the course of treatment for chlamydia are Azithromycin and Doxycycline.
In addition to the mandatory prescription of antibiotics to the patient, antifungal drugs, for example, Fluconazole, and drugs that have an immunomodulating effect are used to treat. If men have strong secretions from the urination channel, antimicrobials are prescribed.
During treatment, partners need to limit sexual contact or use condoms. In addition, the use of dairy products and alcoholic beverages is excluded.
Treatability Studies
To establish the microbiological and clinical criteria showing curability, the following studies are carried out.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is performed, with the help of which the presence of antibodies in the blood to chlamydia - IgM, IgA, IgG is detected. In this case, the blood is tested for the content of immunoglobulin A, that is, IgA. Similar antibodies are produced in the human body as a response to infection. Such a study should be carried out one and a half or two months after the cure of the patient. If he recovered, antibodies would not be detected.
- The next study needed to analyze curability is the polymer chain reaction method, or PCR. This method is the most specific and sensitive for determining the presence of chlamydia in the human body. It is also the most preferable when conducting diagnostics.
Is it possible to completely get rid of chlamydia and how to properly treat it? Many patients come to the doctor with this question. This is not so easy to do, since these microorganisms are parasites inside the cell, and the person does not develop immunity on them. That is, infection can happen again. Often, patients undergo several therapeutic courses with antibiotics, which, of course, leaves its mark on the condition of their liver. That is why it is very important to undergo treatment and further examination for the presence of chlamydia.
Folk remedies for chlamydia
Alternative methods can be used in combination with medication under the supervision of a physician. They can increase the effectiveness of traditional therapy and lead to a lasting positive result.
Infusion of parsley stems improves blood flow in the tissues and has an antibacterial effect. 45 grams of finely chopped herbs are poured with half a liter of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Then filter and drink 2 tablespoons 3 times a day for 2 weeks.
Also used herbal collection from the root of wheatgrass, calamus, incense (20 g each). Add the root of elecampane and licorice (30 g), rhizomes of aralia and pink radiola (10 g), fruits of red mountain ash (40 g). The mixture is poured into a thermos per 1 liter. Raw materials are poured with boiling water, hermetically sealed and left overnight. Strained infusion is drunk per day between meals daily for 15 days.
The fruits of bird cherry, wormwood seeds, yarrow grass, St. John's wort, celandine and dry walnut leaves are also very healing. In 0.5 l of boiling water, pour 35 g of the collection and heat in a water bath. After half an hour, the broth is removed from the stove, cooled and filtered from the dry residue. Drink infusion before meals up to five times a day. It will take several weekly courses.
Chlamydia Prevention
The main preventive measures to avoid chlamydia are the exclusion of fleeting sexual relations, as well as the use of protective equipment, that is, condoms. But this does not become an absolute guarantee that protects against infection. If suspicious contact has occurred, you should not just wait for the first symptoms of chlamydia to appear. Within a few hours after an intimate relationship, it is possible to disinfect the genitals and the areas adjacent to them with the latest antiseptic - Miramistin. Of course, it is much better to try to prevent the disease than to treat it after infection.
We examined how chlamydia is transmitted.