Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb 5;41(2):20-25.
doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v41i02a01.

Chlamydia and lymphogranuloma venereum in Canada: 2003-2012 Summary Report

S Totten  1 , R MacLean  1 , E Payne  1 , A Severini  2
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Chlamydia and lymphogranuloma venereum in Canada: 2003-2012 Summary Report

S Totten et al. Can Commun Dis Rep. .
Free PMC article

Abstract

Background: Chlamydia continues to be the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection in Canada. Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), caused by certain serovars of Chlamydia trachomatis, is becoming established in some populations in a number of Western countries.

Objective: To identify trends in reported cases of chlamydia and LGV in Canada from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2012.

Methods: Notifiable disease data on chlamydia were submitted to the Public Health Agency of Canada by provincial and territorial epidemiological units and summarized at the national level by age and sex. Confirmatory testing for suspected LGV cases and serovar subtyping were performed by the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML). Where possible, provincial/territorial health authorities use a standardized national case report form to collect enhanced epidemiological data on each case and to submit the data to the Agency.

Results: Rates of reported cases of chlamydia increased by 57.6%, from 189.6 to 298.7 per 100,000 between 2003 and 2012. The rate of reported cases of chlamydia among females (383.5 per 100,000) was almost twice as high as that among males (212.0 per 100,000), although the highest relative rate increase occurred among males. In both males and females, the rates of chlamydia were highest in those aged 20 to 24 years. From 2004 to 2012, 170 cases of LGV were reported to the Agency by provincial health authorities (including 104 confirmed and 66 probable cases). In 2012, case reports were received on 12 confirmed and probable cases, compared to 38 laboratory-positive cases confirmed by the NML.

Conclusion: In Canada, as in many countries, chlamydia rates have markedly increased over the last 10 years, in part due to improved diagnosis through nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) testing. Consistent with trends in Europe and other countries, LGV is emerging in Canada among men who have sex with men (MSM).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall and sex-specific rates of reported chlamydia cases, 2003 to 2012, Canada)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Rates of reported chlamydia cases by sex and age group, 2012, Canada
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Stamm WE. Chlamydia trachomatis infections of the adult. In: Holmes KK, Sparling PF, Mardh P, Lemon SM, Stamm WE, Piot P, et al., editors. Sexually transmitted diseases. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1999. p. 407-422.
    1. Expert Working Group for the Canadian Guidelines on Sexually Transmitted Infections. Chlamydial Infections. In: Wong T, Latham-Carmanico C, editors. Canadian guidelines on sexually transmitted infections. 2010 ed. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada; 2010.
    1. Fleming DT, Wasserheit JN. From epidemiological synergy to public health policy and practice: the contribution of other sexually transmitted diseases to sexual transmission of HIV infection. Sex Transm Infect 1999. Feb;75(1):3–17. 10.1136/sti.75.1.3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Public Health Agency of Canada. Report on sexually transmitted infections in Canada: 2011. Centre for Communicable Diseases and Infection Control, Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada; 2014. http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/469949/publication.html
    1. Expert Working Group for the Canadian Guidelines on Sexually Transmitted Infections. Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV). In: Wong T, Latham-Carmanico C, editors. Canadian Guidelines on Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2010 ed. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada; 2010.