What is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis [1]. This bacterium is an obligate intracellular bacterium. It means it proliferates inside the cells [2].
The infection's side can be the urethra, cervix, and rectum. However, it can also invade the eyes (as in children), lungs (rarely) [3], and throat.
In the world, Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease [4]. It also is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children born to infected mothers [5].
In the United States, Chlamydia is the most frequently reported infection [4].
Young women are most affected by chlamydia trachomatis, but the bacterium affects both sexes and age groups [1].
Chlamydia may be asymptomatic. Thus, the people may not always know they are infected. Nevertheless, untreated cases can lead to complications [6].
Chlamydia transmission
Chlamydia is mainly transmitted sexually. It can be contracted during unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex [7].
If a man has Chlamydia, he doesn't need to ejaculate to transmit the disease.
Another way of getting Chlamydia is by direct contact with infected tissue, like touching genitals of an infected person [8].
Mothers who have Chlamydia can give the infection to the baby during delivery. Affected babies can present with eye or lung infections or be born preterm [6].
Can Chlamydia be transmitted by kissing or hugging?
No, you can not get Chlamydia through kissing or hugging. It is also impossible to become infected by drinking from the same glass as the infected individual [9].
False positive chlamydia test
If your girlfriend did a chlamydia test, and it came back positive, it does not mean for sure that she has the disease. It can be that her result is falsely positive.
The typical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test has great specificity (94%). However, there is a 6% chance of a false positive [10].
Other tests, like the direct fluorescence test for Chlamydia, have even higher specificity (98%). When your girlfriend did this test, the chance of a false positive was 2% [11].
Other factors can also impact the results. For example, specimen quality plays a key role [12].
The presence of endocervical and/or metaplastic cells is an essential indicator of a chlamydia specimen's high quality. A specimen containing these cells has a chance of below 6% of false positives, while a sample without them has up to 26% [12].
False negative chlamydia test
It is also possible that your test results are wrongly negative, and actually, both of you have Chlamydia.
The sensitivity of the first void urine test is 77%. This means there may be up to a 23% chance of getting a negative result with a present infection [13].
PCR test's sensitivity ranges from 90 to 97%, leaving a maximum of 10% of error for a false negative result [14].
Culture tests, on the other hand, have a sensitivity of 60 to 65% [14]. When making a culture, the chance of a false negative may be more than 35%.
How long will I test positive for Chlamydia after treatment?
If you and your girlfriend both had a chlamydia infection, it is possible that while you are negative, she still is positive.
Typically, chlamydia infection clears 6 to 7 days after treatment [15]. However, it can sometimes take up to 2 weeks of treatment [9].
After the infection is cleared, the test results become negative 4 to 8 weeks after the treatment [16].
Nevertheless, to ensure the best results, retesting should be done as soon as possible after 12 weeks of therapy [16].
If you both tested earlier, she may still be positive while you are negative, but this does not mean she has a new infection.