Chlamydial urethritis is caused by a type of microorganism that lives as a parasite within human cells and has properties of both viruses and bacteria.
Chlamydia can cause nonspecific urethritis with a discharge from the penis and swollen testes. The symptoms can appear similar to gonorrhea infection but persist after treatment for gonorrhea. Chlamydia and gonorrhea often occur together.
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease in the US and abroad. Approximately 5 out of 10,000 men are affected annually. Risk factors include multiple sexual partners and sexual contact without condoms.
Different strains of chlamydia cause genital, eye, lymph node, and respiratory infections. Chlamydia is the most common cause of blindness in the world. A child born to a woman with a chlamydia infection of the cervix may develop an acute eye or lung.
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