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Chlamydia is a group of microbes which resemble both bacteria and viruses at the same time. Chlamydia is much larger than viruses and smaller than bacteria. Like viruses Chlamydia cannot exist outside host’s body, where it parasitizes inside cells.
Chlamydia are unable to generate energy on their own, that is why they are able to survive only inside the cells of the infected organism. Chlamydia have high affinity to epithelial cells of the urogenital tract; this explains why Chlamydia mostly affects genital and urinary tracts of the patients. However, in some cases Chlamydia may inhabit the epithelium of the large intestine. It usually happens due to intestinal disbacteriosis. During pregnancy Chlamydia affects urogenital tract of a woman, though very often it also affects the fetus and fetal membranes.
The source of Clamidiosis is Chlamydia carrier. It is worth mentioning that very often the disease runs without any symptoms in the carrier so that the carrier himself may not suspect that he is a source of these microbes.
Clamidiosis is a classic example of a sexually transmitted disease. Actually, Chlamydia infection is mainly transmitted by sexual intercourse. Condoms may slightly reduce the risk of getting Clamidiosis. It is also possible to get infected through contaminated objects; however the rate of this form of transmission is rather insignificant. During pregnancy vertical transmission of the infection occurs (i.e. from mother to fetus). Clamidiosis is spread to fetal membranes and penetrates into amniotic fluid. Fetal infection occurs when the fetus ingests the infected amniotic fluid or when the infection gets into the mucous membranes of the fetus.
Generally, clamidiosis is detected in 10% of pregnant women who have no complications in anamnesis (medical history). If the patient has cases of miscarriage, sterility or tubo-ovaritis in her medical history, the risk of having chlamydia exceeds 60%. This fact should be taken notice of, and if you have a record of the mentioned complications in your anamnesis, you should necessarily be examined and possibly receive proper treatment for clamidiosis.
This may help to avoid complications during pregnancy.