Sexually Transmitted Disease
The Child Abuse Team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center provides the following table as a guide for health care professionals in interpreting laboratory test results for Chlamydia, Chlamydia Trachomatis.
| Infection Sites | Vagina, cervix, urethra, rectum |
Incubation Period
and Symptoms | Most chlamydia infections do not cause symptoms. Tissue culture tests should be positive five to seven days after contact. Identification earlier than this is very unlikely. |
| Transmission | Perinatal infection may be unrecognized for years. Asymptomatic vaginal and rectal perinatal infections have been documented for up to three years. A chlamydia infection should be presumed to be from sexual abuse if perinatal infection has been excluded. |
| Diagnostic Tests | The only acceptable method is positive bacterial tissue CULTURE. Misidentification will occur if other methods are used. |
