Chlamydial and other nongonococcal infections

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Chlamydial infections include sexually transmitted diseases of the urethra, cervix, and rectum that are caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. These bacteria can also infect the membranes that cover the whites of the eyes (conjunctiva) and the throat. Other bacteria, such as Ureaplasma and Mycoplasma, can also cause infections of the urethra.

Symptoms include a discharge from the penis or vagina and painful or more frequent urination.
If unnoticed or untreated in women, these infections can result in infertility, miscarriage, and an increased risk of a mislocated (ectopic) pregnancy.
DNA tests of a sample of the discharge or of urine can detect chlamydial infection.
Antibiotics can cure the infection, and sex partners should be treated at the same time.

(See also Overview of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.)
Several bacteria, including Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydiae), Ureaplasma, and Mycoplasma, cause similar diseases, all of which resemble the sexually transmitted disease (STD) gonorrhea. Laboratories can identify chlamydiae but have difficulty identifying the other bacteria, so these are sometimes called nongonococcal infections.
Chlamydial infection is the most commonly reported STD. In the United States, over 1.7 million cases were reported in 2017. Because the infection frequently causes no symptoms, twice as many people than are reported to have chlamydial infection may actually be infected.
Chlamydial infection and gonorrhea cause similar symptoms. Both can cause urethral infections (urethritis) in men and, in women, cervical infections (cervicitis) that produce pus (see also Chlamydial Infections and Mycoplasmas).
Sometimes people have gonorrhea and chlamydial infection at the same time.