Chlamydia trachoma is the most common sexually transmitted disease, with 92,000,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Chlamydia trachoma infects the reproductive tract and can spread to other organs and parts of the body, including the urethra, cervix, mouth, rectum, and kidney, in women; and the urethra, prostate, mouth, rectum, and kidney, in men.
Once infected, trachoma may act differently in women and men, symptoms can change over time, and the infection may become asymptomatic as it evolves into a chronic disease. Trachoma has been linked to infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), endometriosis, tubal pregnancies, miscarriages, prematurity, kidney disease, and prostate disease. Chlamydia trachoma can also cause a variety of chronic diseases, including but not limited to arthritis, cancer, neurologic diseases, diabetes, eye diseases, and autoimmune diseases.