Emerging Resistance in Chlamydia Requires Surveillance and Reassessment
-
Hamid Sadeghi
,
Maryam Zamani Alavigeh
,
Mehdi Bakht
,
Abolfazl Alizadeh Shamlu
,
Masoumeh Aslanimehr
Abstract
Background: Chlamydia trachomatis remains one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) globally, often asymptomatic but capable of causing serious reproductive complications if left untreated. While azithromycin and doxycycline have traditionally been highly effective first-line treatments, recent evidence suggests a growing concern over reduced antibiotic efficacy and potential resistance.
Conclusion: This commentary highlights emerging clinical patterns, the need for surveillance, and the importance of reassessing treatment strategies to mitigate a future public health challenge.
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12. Chen LF, Wang TC, Chen FL, et al. Efficacy of doxycycline versus azithromycin for the treatment of rectal chlamydia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 76(12):3103-10.
13. Poston TBJP, Disease. Advances in vaccine development for Chlamydia trachomatis Path Dis 2024; 82:ftae017.
14. Tisler-Sala A, Ojavee SE, Uusküla AJSTI. Treatment of chlamydia and gonorrhoea, compliance with treatment guidelines and factors associatedwith non-compliant prescribing: findings form a cross-sectional study. Sexual Trans Infect 2018; 94(4):298-303.
2. Hammerschlag MR, Golden NH, Oh MK, et al. Single dose of azithromycin for the treatment of genital chlamydial infections in adolescents. J Pediatrics 1993; 122(6):961-5.
3. Kamath K, Rajan A, Shabaraya R. A review of azithromycin resistance: emerging trends and clinical implications. Int J Pharmaceutical Sci 2024; 2(11):282-92.
4. Ljubin-Sternak S, Meštrović TJAS. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing in Chlamydia trachomatis: the current state of evidence and a call for more national surveillance studies. Applied Sci 2025; 15(8):4322.
5. Sandoz KM, Rockey DD. Antibiotic resistance in Chlamydiae. Future Microbiol 2010; 5(9):1427-42.
6. Kissinger PJ, White S, Manhart LE, et al. Azithromycin treatment failure for Chlamydia trachomatis among heterosexual men with nongonococcal urethritis. Sexual Trans Dis 2016; 43(10):599-602.
7. Huemer M, Mairpady Shambat S, Brugger SD, et al. Antibiotic resistance and persistence-Implications for human health and treatment perspectives. EMBO reports. 2020; 21(12):e51034.
8. Benamri I, Azzouzi M, Sanak K, et al. Antimicrobials. An overview of genes and mutations associated with Chlamydia species’ resistance to antibiotics. Annal Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2021; 20(1):59.
9. Angelucci F, Cechova K, Amlerova J, et al. Antibiotics, gut microbiota, and Alzheimer’s disease. J neuroinflam 2019; 16(1):108.
10. Sherrard J, Jensen JSJIjoS, AIDS. Chlamydia treatment failure after repeat courses of azithromycin and doxycycline. Int J STD AIDS 2019; 30(10):1025-7.
11. Budai IJAmeiH. Chlamydia trachomatis: Milestones in clinical and microbiological diagnostics in the last hundred years. Acta Microbiol Immunol Hungaric 2007; 54(1):5-22.
12. Chen LF, Wang TC, Chen FL, et al. Efficacy of doxycycline versus azithromycin for the treatment of rectal chlamydia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 76(12):3103-10.
13. Poston TBJP, Disease. Advances in vaccine development for Chlamydia trachomatis Path Dis 2024; 82:ftae017.
14. Tisler-Sala A, Ojavee SE, Uusküla AJSTI. Treatment of chlamydia and gonorrhoea, compliance with treatment guidelines and factors associatedwith non-compliant prescribing: findings form a cross-sectional study. Sexual Trans Infect 2018; 94(4):298-303.
| Issue | Vol 13 No 4 (2025) | |
| Section | Editorial | |
| Keywords | ||
| Chlamydia trachomatis Resistance Pubic health. | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Sadeghi H, Zamani Alavigeh M, Bakht M, Alizadeh Shamlu A, Aslanimehr M. Emerging Resistance in Chlamydia Requires Surveillance and Reassessment. J Med Bacteriol. 2025;13(4):98-100.
