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For women: "Can my baby get a Chlamydial infection?"Studies suggest that roughly a third of babies born through a Chlamydial – infected cervix will develop a chlamydial eye infection. This becomes apparent as a discharge of pus or weepy material from the eye about a week after birth. The tissue around the eye becomes puffy (swollen) and the eye does not respond to being cleansed. In many countries it is the custom to try and prevent this happening by the routine use of antibacterial eye drops. Unfortunately, one of the standard treatments for "sticky eye" as it is known in new-born babies, chloromycetin ointment or eye-drops, is usually ineffective against this infection, but other antibiotics, eg erythromycin or azithromycin by mouth, are effective. It is important that the baby is treated by mouth (orally) as the baby’s throat is often infected and this infection will not be cleared up with eye ointment alone. If your new-born baby has a sticky eye which does not respond to conventional treatment, it is quite likely it has a chlamydial eye infection. You should ask your usual doctor for advice. The infection can be confirmed by a laboratory test, although this is not available to many doctors. If your baby is found to have a chlamydial eye infection, then it is likely that you, and probably your sex partner, also have a chlamydial infection, with all of you needing treatment. Consult the doctor of your choice about this. If a chlamydial eye infection in a baby remains untreated, the symptoms eventually clear up. However quite a high proportion of these apparently cured babies go on to develop a chlamydial pneumonia at around 6 weeks of age. These babies will show signs of mild chest infection and considerable lung changes visible by X-ray. Chlamydial pneumonia is uncommon and is probably often missed, but you should be alert to the possibility. Again, such an infection means that you and your partner need treatment for a probable chlamydial genital tract infection. "What effect does the pill or the IUD have on chlamydial infection?"It is not entirely clear what overall effect the oral contraceptive pill has on chlamydial genital infection. There is evidence that there may be different and contrary effects on lower and upper female genital infection. Overall, there is probably relatively little impact. Modern IUDs (intra uterine devices) have overcome many of the problems of ascending infection from the vagina to the womb that used to be associated with some of them. However if Chlamydia get into the womb, the presence of an IUD is probably, at best, not going to help the infection and may make it worse. [MEW] January 2008
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