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NOTE: A surveillance case definition is a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. Surveillance case definitions enable public health officials to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions. Surveillance case definitions are not intended to be used by healthcare providers for making a clinical diagnosis or determining how to meet an individual patient’s health needs.

Clinical Description

Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis may result in urethritis, epididymitis, cervicitis, acute salpingitis, or other syndromes when sexually transmitted. Perinatal infections may result in inclusion conjunctivitis and pneumonia among newborns. Other syndromes caused by C. trachomatis include lymphogranuloma venereum (see Lymphogranuloma venereum Infection) and trachoma.

Laboratory Criteria For Diagnosis

  • Isolation of C. trachomatis by culture, OR
  • Demonstration of C. trachomatis in a clinical specimen by antigen detection methods

Case Classification

Confirmed

A case that is laboratory confirmed

Related Case Definition(s)