Screening of urinary and genital tracts of adult females for the Chlamydia-like bacterium Parachlamydia acanthamoebae.

Some members of the Chlamydiales order, particularly Chlamydia, Waddlia, and Parachlamydia, have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in humans and animals. Recently, the existence of another Chlamydia-like bacterium, namely Simkania, has been confirmed in the genitalia of adult females, but its possible pathogenic role has not yet been examined. In comparison to other members of Chlamydiales, the presence of Parachlamydia in the urogenitalia of human females and its involvement in obstetrical complications is less convincingly investigated and still a matter of debate.