The Role of Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection in Young Men: What we Need to Know?

Chlamydia trachomatis infections are the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infections worldwide. Because Chlamydia trachomatis infections are asymptomatic in approximately 50% of infected men and 70% of infected women, there is a high risk for reproductive tract sequelae and high diffusion of the disease. Recently, some studies improved the comprehension of this infection and its natural history highlighting the fact that severe complications can be avoided only by a proper early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. We reviewed the literature relating to the new findings in the treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in sexually active young men. Articles from 1960–2014 were identified through a Medline search using the keyword “Chlamydia trachomatis” combined with “urethritis”, “epididymitis”, “prostatitis”, “treatment”, or “management”. Several studies highlighted that Chlamydia are only metabolically active in the host cell and therefore only targeted intracellularly by antibiotics. However, even if the standard therapy includes intracellulary-accumulated antibiotics such as tetracyclines or macrolides, recent evidences highlight the role of quinolones. In particular, recent studies highlight the role of prulifloxacin in the treatment of chronic prostatitis patients for improving patient’s quality of life and decreasing the IL-8 level. However, there is a need for future studies and to diffuse the knowledge about Chlamydia trachomatis especially in urological clinical practice, in order to reduce the risk for failure diagnosis.