Chlamydia trachomatis urethritis in men attending a venereal disease clinic: a culture and therapeutic study

Urethral specimens from 459 male patients attending a venereal disease clinic were studied for presence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Of the 459 patients, 362 had symptoms suggestive of urethritis. In these 362, gonorrhoea was diagnosed in 78 (22%), while 88 (24%) harboured C. trachomatis; 15 harboured both organisms. Of those patients from whom C. trachomatis was isolated, 17% had no subjective symptoms of urethritis; the same percentage of symptomless carriers of gonococci was found. Watery discharge occurred more frequently in patients with chlamydial urethritis than in patients with gonorrhoea, while in the latter condition purulent discharge was more often found. Treatment with doxycycline for 9 days rendered 28 of 29 chlamydia-positive patients culture negative at control.