Ask the average American about chlamydia, and you will probably evoke an uneasy cringe. Most people think immediately of one of the world's most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). But the term actually refers to an entire genus of tiny bacteria that can ignite a variety of serious illnesses.

Ask a poor mother in Africa about chlamydia, and she may tell you that flies transmitting this infection gave her two young children the painful eye condition known as conjunctivitis. This illness--caused by a strain of Chlamydia trachomatis (the species that also causes STDs)--can lead to trachoma, a potentially blinding disease. In industrial countries, an airborne species, C. pneumoniae, causes colds, bronchitis and about 10 percent of pneumonias acquired outside of hospitals. Researchers have even drawn tentative links between C. pneumoniae and atherosclerosis, the artery-narrowing condition that leads to heart attacks and strokes.

This article was originally published with the title Can Chlamydia Be Stopped?.

2 Comments

1. 1. rachell32skeith 06:30 PM 3/23/10

   it is better to prevent than cure. Educating the people and increasing the awareness about the virus and the infection is perhaps the best means of preventing the disease.
   
   
   http://simplestdtesting.com/resources

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2. 2. Herpesfinder 10:38 PM 9/25/10

   HIV is spreading around the world. check STDRomance site and you will know how many HIV singles there are

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