Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in urethra of patients with urogenital infection

Between January, 1984 and August 1986, we examined 151 male patients with urogenital infections including 114 cases of urethritis, 18 cases of epididymitis, 19 cases of prostatitis at the outpatient clinic of the department of urology, Toho University's Ohmori Hospital. The positive rate for Chlamydia trachomatis from the urethra based on cell cultures was 29.0%, (30.5% for urethritis, 27.8% for epididymitis, and 21.1% for prostatitis). The positive rate for non-gonorrheal urethritis was 33.0% and chlamydia infections were complicated by gonorrheal urethritis in 23.3% of the cases. The mean age of the patients with positive Chlamydia trachomatis was 31.9 years. The route of infection in 77.8% of the cases was sexual intercourse the most common cause of which was infection from a prostitute in 62.1% of the cases. The latent period was in most cases from 2-3 weeks.