Treatment of complicated infections of the male genital tract, with emphasis on Chlamydia trachomatis.

Prostatitis and epididymitis, which are the most common complications of urethritis in men below 35 years of age, may be associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Chlamydiae have been isolated from expressed prostatic fluid in men with urethritis complicated by prostatitis and from the epididymis in men with acute epididymitis. Tetracyclines are effective treatment for genital chlamydial infections, including those affecting the accessory genital glands. Two 7-day courses of lymecycline, separated by a 10-day interval, eradicated C. trachomatis from 26 men with prostatitis and genital chlamydial infection. With erythromycin, results of treatment were unsatisfactory. Since acute prostatitis carries a risk of chronic infection, and since epididymitis, in particular, may lead to reduced fertility, prompt antibiotic treatment should be administered to patients with either of these two conditions.