Chlamydia infection

SB5i.5 Homework 2
A national screening programme for Chlamydia infection in under-25s began in the UK in 2003. It is a
free service, intended to encourage young people to avoid infection or, if they become infected, to help
them get treatment quickly. There may be no early signs of Chlamydia infection, although some people suffer
pain when urinating or have an unusual discharge. Long-term infection can cause more severe problems,
including becoming sterile (unable to have children). Infection can be treated simply with antibiotics.
1 a To which group of infections does Chlamydia belong?
b Describe two ways in which the pathogen that causes Chlamydia is spread.
c Name one other pathogen that is spread in a similar way.
Pathogens like Chlamydia use human behaviour to bypass many of the barriers and defences of the human
body that protect it against infection.
2 State two physical barriers of the human body to infection, and explain how they work.
The chart shows the percentage of men and women of different age groups who were diagnosed with
Chlamydia infection in 2013 in England.

Percentage of men and women in England in 2013 diagnosed with Chlamydia by age group.
3 Which age groups of males and of females show the highest proportion of Chlamydia infections?
4 Suggest two reasons why these age groups are more at risk of infection with Chlamydia than others.
5 Explain why many of the people tested for Chlamydia did not know they were infected.
6 Explain why it is important to be tested for Chlamydia if you are at risk of infection.
7 Explain why, when someone is treated for infection, his or her sexual partners should also be treated for
infection.

Extra challenge
8 In 2013, the national screening programme for 15–24-year-olds carried out 531 428 tests on males and
1 177 005 tests on females. The total number of males in this age group was estimated at 3 519 015 and
the total number of females was estimated at 3 388 842.
a Calculate the percentage of males and of females that were tested in 2013.
b A simple conclusion from the graph above is that a greater percentage of 15- to 24-year-old females
are infected than 15- to 24-year-old males. Use your calculations in a to judge how valid that
conclusion is.

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