What does Chlamydia trachomatis detection in a urogenital specimen from a young child mean?

The notion that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can be acquired through non-sexual means is a well-established meme in the public consciousness. The public toilet seat is the most commonly blamed vector. This is despite the lack of evidence for acquisition of STIs from toilet seats, and the ready availability of reputable advice to this effect.1 While the ‘toilet seat hypothesis’ is not currently regarded as supported by data, other modes of non-sexual acquisition of STIs, though rare, have been reported. Examples include pharyngeal gonorrhoea by sharing of confectionery,2 transmission of urogenital (UGT) gonorrhoea by sharing of a sex doll,3 and transmission of Trichomonas vaginalis via the fingers of a traditional healer in west Africa.4 This provides credibility to the notion that STI detection in UGT specimens from young children is not always a consequence of ‘conventional’ sexual contact or, for very...
Source: Sexually Transmitted Infections - Category: Sexual Medicine Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research