Word: chlamydia
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...caused by the gonococcus bacterium. But in a majority of cases of NGU, no gonococcus can be found-hence the name nongonococcal urethritis. Though the cause of NGU cannot always be determined, researchers have in recent years identified a culprit in about half the cases: a tiny bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis, the same microbe that causes trachoma, an eye disease...
Chlamydial infections usually produce mild but recognizable symptoms in men: pain during urination and a clear, watery mucoid discharge. The infection is not as readily apparent in women; chlamydia can remain unnoticed in the cervix, producing no apparent symptoms. Left untreated, the infection may lead to serious complications. Men can develop inflammation of the epididymis, which carries sperm from the testis. In women, inflammation may occur in the cervix or the fallopian tubes (which can become blocked, causing sterility) and other pelvic areas. Even worse, the infection can be passed on to babies during birth, causing eye infections and pneumonia...
Indeed, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between NGU and gonorrhea by physical examination alone (though gonorrhea tends to produce a yellowish discharge). Because the technique for culturing chlamydia is not yet widely available, doctors diagnose NGU by examining a smear or culture of discharge for the presence of gonococci. If none are there, the disease is NGU. Unlike gonorrhea, which usually responds to penicillin, NGU is treated with tetracycline or erythromycin...
...they fur ther discovered that of the 132 with no history of these illnesses, 83 (or 63%) had owned or handled birds. The doctors examined post-mortem tissue from 27 patients who had had valvular heart disease. Seven were carrying antigens indicating possible infection with a microorganism called Chlamydia psittaci-the same microbe that causes parrot fever...