Chlamydia

About chlamydia

• Chlamydia is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. 
• Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed bacterial STI in Australia. There were over 100,000 notifications in 2017, most among people aged 15-29.¹
• Untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in people with female reproductive organs and epididymo-orchitis in people with male reproductive organs.
• Research suggests that genital chlamydia infections can be present for months or years without causing symptoms.^2,3
• Reinfection is common and substantially increases the risk of PID.

Diagnosis and treatment

• Chlamydia is often asymptomatic and many infections go undiagnosed.^4,5
• Nucleic acid amplification testing is used to diagnose chlamydia. See the Australian STI management guidelines for help with diagnosis and treatment. 
• Chlamydia is a notifiable condition in Australia, and the state or territorty health department must be notified of a positive case. Click here for more information about notification in your state/territory. 

Follow-up and management

• Consider testing for other STIs if this did not occur at the initial presentation (see the Australian STI management guidelines for further information).
• Advise no sexual contact for seven days after treatment is administered, and no sex with partners from the previous six months until they have been tested and treated as appropriate.⁶
• Sexual partners from the previous six months should be notified to help prevent reinfection and onward transmission.⁶ It is the diagnosing clinician’s responsibility to initiate a discussion about partner notification. Click here for further information about partner management. 
• A test of cure is not routinely recommended, unless the patient is pregnant, or the infection was an anorectal infection treated with azithromycin.⁶
  A test for reinfection is recommended at three months.⁶ For further information about organising retesting, click here. 

For detailed information about chlamydia, including treatment and management:
Australian STI management guidelines: Chlamydia.