Chlamydia trachomatis

5.4

A type of bacteria that causes the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia

noun
/kləˈmɪdiə trəˈkoʊmətɪs/

Specialized

: Chlamydia trachomatis

Chlamydia trachomatis is known for causing the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia in humans.

Examples

A course of antibiotics can effectively treat infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis.
Testing for Chlamydia trachomatis is recommended for sexually active individuals under 25.
Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of preventable blindness and sexually transmitted infections worldwide.
The bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for many STIs.
Doctors often test for Chlamydia trachomatis during routine check-ups.
A course of antibiotics can effectively treat infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis.
Testing for Chlamydia trachomatis is recommended for sexually active individuals to prevent complications.

Synonyms

C. trachomatis

vsChlamydia trachomatis

Specialized

9.9

A type of bacteria that causes the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia

has identical meaning but uses the full formal name

Surface Forms

Chlamydia trachomatis singular

Chlamydia trachomatis plural

Morphology

chlamydia + trachomatis

The element 'chlamydia' clearly signals the bacterium/genus, so a learner who knows that word can infer this is a type or species of chlamydia. However, 'trachomatis' is a Latin species epithet not meaningful to a B1 learner and does not transparently convey the specific disease associations, so the full, precise sense requires specialist knowledge.

Etymology

Chlamydia trachomatis may come from old words: Chlamydia means a 'cloak', because these bacteria hide inside human cells like something hidden under a cloak, and trachomatis refers to 'trachoma', the eye trouble the same bacteria can cause. That's why the name points to a hidden germ that can cause the infection called 'chlamydia' and the eye disease 'trachoma'.