Bacteria and viruses are unwanted guests in the human body, which can be quite difficult to get rid of. The incubation period of any disease can be compared with the period of settling and getting used to uninvited guests. The infection, as it were, takes root in new conditions, fully adapts, after which it begins to have a devastating effect on the body as a whole, as well as individual organs and tissues in particular. This article will discuss what is the incubation period of chlamydia, what are its terms, as well as methods of treatment and prevention.
General understanding of the disease
Chlamydia is an infectious disease transmitted mostly through sexual contact. Provoke the emergence and development of the disease microbacteria, called chlamydia. These microbacteria mainly affect the mucous membranes of the human body. As a result of their negative impact, harm is done to almost all organs andhuman systems, in particular the urinary, reproductive, digestive systems, as well as the heart, lungs and even the eyes.
Possible consequences
The most common complication of chlamydia is infertility. The main danger lies in the secrecy of this disease. Diagnosing chlamydia in the early stages can be quite difficult. In addition, these bacteria show persistent resistance to some antibacterial agents, which greatly complicates the process of treating the disease.
Mechanisms of infection
The main mode of transmission is through unprotected sexual intercourse.
However, chlamydia can be transmitted from person to person in other ways, such as:
- With the airborne method of transmission of infection, chlamydia enters the body through the saliva of an infected person when communicating with him. A similar method is known to most people who have ever suffered respiratory infectious diseases. In addition, the saliva of a sick animal can become a source of infection.
- The social factor has a separate place among the ways of transmission of chlamydia. With unsatisfactory sanitization of common areas, the likelihood of infection with chlamydia is quite high. Everyone knows that a number of other dangerous diseases are transmitted according to a similar scheme, for example, Koch's bacillus, which causes the pulmonary form of tuberculosis. High risk public places includethe following: baths and saunas, sanitary rooms, catering points, as well as any other places where a large number of people accumulate.
- The domestic mechanism of infection is the transmission of bacteria through the use of shared toiletry items, for example, when a he althy person puts on things that belong to a sick person (in this case, we are talking about underwear) or use his bedding and hygiene products.
- The vertical transmission of chlamydia is considered the most insidious, as it poses a threat to the he alth of newborns. When the disease is transmitted in this way, the child acquires a congenital form of chlamydia. Chlamydia is transmitted from mother to child during labor when the fetus passes through an infected birth canal. As a rule, infection of the mother's body occurs during pregnancy, and by the time the child is born, the disease takes on a form that poses a threat to others.
Do not forget about caution when dealing with animals, in particular with representatives of the feathered world. Birds are known to be natural carriers and vectors of chlamydia.
Despite the fact that in the external environment the viability of chlamydia lasts for two days, these bacteria are considered quite vulnerable, so the percentage of infection with chlamydia in the domestic way is negligible. Usually, doctors consider the most likely mechanisms for the infection to enter the body of a he althy person.
Chlamydia incubation period - what is it?
Starting from the moment bacteria entered thethe body of a he althy person before the appearance of obvious symptoms, depending on each individual case, varies from two days to one month. During the incubation period of chlamydia in women, the bacteria have time to increase their population several times and by the time the latent course of the disease is completed, they begin to actively act. The ultimate goal of microorganisms is their release into the environment in search of a new habitat (potential future carrier of the disease).
Because the immune system of individuals works differently, it can be quite difficult to detect the development of the disease during the incubation period of chlamydia in the absence of obvious signs. Moreover, if a person does not yet notice pronounced symptoms of the disease, this does not mean that he cannot infect people with whom he is in close relationships, especially if he is in constant contact.
Protection rules during the latent course of the disease
To reduce the risk of infection, including during the dormant incubation period of chlamydia, medicine suggests the following simple protection rules:
- use of protective contraception (condoms) when in contact with a partner;
- compliance with sanitary standards and requirements in everyday life and the service sector;
- careful monitoring of one's own he alth, in particular strengthening the protective functions of the body.
With careful observance of these simplerequirements, the risk of contracting chlamydia during the latent course of the disease is significantly reduced.
Chlamydia incubation period: symptoms
As a rule, men are less noticeable than women. It is possible to reveal the latent form of the disease only after special laboratory tests. Usually, the patient learns about the presence of chlamydia in his body by chance, seeking the advice of a specialist for another reason.
Despite the fact that the main signs of the presence of chlamydia in women are observed more often, timely detection of the disease at this stage is not always possible. The characteristic symptoms of the disease in the fair sex during the incubation period include:
- transparent-looking vaginal discharge that does not have a specific odor (with the course of the disease, the nature of the discharge changes, acquires an unpleasant pronounced odor);
- bloody discharge between consecutive menstrual bleeding (rare but possible);
- short pain in the lower abdomen at the final stage of the incubation period;
- pain during urination.
In some cases, during the incubation period of chlamydia, women experience low-grade fever (an increase in body temperature over a long period of time).
Diagnostic Methods
Since it is extremely difficult to establish the presence of chlamydia in women during the incubation period by external signs, forAn accurate diagnosis requires the following laboratory tests:
- The procedure for taking the contents of the vagina at a gynecologist's appointment. Microscopy is considered one of the most accurate ways to determine the disease at the stage of the incubation period.
- PCR (polymer chain reaction) is the most accurate diagnostic method at the level of molecular biology, the reliability of which is more than 95 percent. True, such a technique is still inaccessible for most patients due to the rather high cost of the study.
- Urine and blood tests also allow you to recognize the disease at the initial stage of its development, although not in one hundred percent of cases.
- Immunoassay of blood. This method consists in isolating the patient's blood serum with subsequent tests for possible infections. The reliability of the result of this method is about sixty percent.
- Culture for the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in the body allows you to determine the presence of chlamydia in the samples taken with an accuracy of ninety-five percent.
It should be noted that in order to obtain a reliable result during the incubation period of chlamydia in women, experts recommend using several diagnostic methods simultaneously.
Treatment
The average duration of treatment for chlamydia in women does not exceed a month. If the patient has a permanent friend, both partners should undergo treatment. During therapyexcluded: sexual contact, drinking alcohol and smoking. It is also recommended to follow a strict diet during therapy.
The main therapeutic measures are to take antibacterial drugs (antibiotics). Additionally, the gynecologist can prescribe special procedures, as well as antifungal agents.
A successful result of treatment is the absence of chlamydia in the analyzes after two weeks of taking the drugs and passing all the prescribed procedures.
Disease prevention
Chlamydia prevention consists of:
- in compliance with protection requirements, use of barrier contraception;
- regular examination by a gynecologist;
- in the absence of casual sex and the presence of a permanent proven partner.
Couples planning a baby should definitely be screened for the absence of sexual diseases, including chlamydia.
