Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis immunotype J associated with trachoma in children in an area previously endemic for trachoma

Abstract

Chlamydia trachomatis immunotype J was isolated from the eye of a five-year-old Navajo child with trachoma. This is the first such isolate from a patient in an area previously endemic for trachoma. Chlamydial infection of the genitals among the Navajo Indians is common, and we have isolated immunotype J from the genital tract of women in this area. This most recent case points to the occurrence of "genital" trachoma. This occurrence adds evidence to the assertion that trachoma may be caused by the "genital" immunotypes of C. trachomatis. Therefore, the traditional distinction between ocular and genital strains may be artifactual.