Chlamydial infections in Italy.

Chlamydia trachomatis was present in cell cultures of specimens from 96 (32%) of 300 men with nongonococcal urethritis, but this organism was not isolated from 100 healthy volunteers matched for sex and age. The prevalence of serum antibodies to C. trachomatis was investigated with the use of a single-antigen, indirect immunofluorescence test; all patients with nongonococcal urethritis due to C. trachomatis had serum antibody against C. trachomatis, whereas only 54% of patients with nonchlamydial, nongonococcal urethritis and 22% of healthy volunteers had serum antibody. C. trachomatis was recovered from only one (0.9%) of 106 women observed in an obstetrical clinic for reasons other than genital tract infections. In a female population selected according to the presence of glandular ectopia of the cervix, C. trachomatis was isolated from nine (5.6%) of 160 women. A significantly (P less than 0.005) higher incidence of histological dysplasia was demonstrated in women presenting both glandular ectopia of the cervix and serum antibody to C. trachomatis than in women with glandular ectopia but no chlamydial antibodies. A seroepidemiological survey of a healthy population showed the presence of antibodies against C. trachomatis in 26% of the controls. The incidence was lowest (16%) among the children younger than ten years of age and highest (37%) among women older than 40 years of age.U