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From: ems@amdahl.UUCP (ems)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Reiter's Syndrome (and chlamydia)
Message-ID: <1243@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Mar-85 14:27:36 EST
Article-I.D.: amdahl.1243
Posted: Thu Mar  7 14:27:36 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Mar-85 19:20:54 EST
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> >
> >As I understand it, Reiter's Syndrome is a disease of the connective
> >tissue of muscles.  ...
                        ... request for more info ...


> According to the Merck manual ...
> 
> 			"REITER'S SYNDROME
> "Arthritis associated with nonbacterial urethritis and
> conjunctivitis, usually seen in adult males following recent
> sexual exposure; it may also follow an acute attack of
> unexplained diarrhea (dysentery). ... The syndrome seems to be
> a response to infection with shigella or infectious agents transmitted
> venereally (e.g chlamydia) in a genetically susceptible host."
> 
> The manual ... mentions anti-inflamatory agents (e.g. aspirin or
> indomethacin or phenylbutazone), physical therapy during the
> recovery phase (the typical case resolves in 3-4 months, but 50%
> of patients experience transient recurrences ...
                   ... more on symptoms and treatment ...

>  ... Tetracycline may control the urethritis.

I thought chlamydia was a bacteria.  Yet here we have Merck
saying that Reiters is associated with 'nonbacterial
urethritis'; and proposing that tetracycline may control it...
Am I reading this wrong or what?  Is chlamydia a bacteria or a virus?
Can tetracycline do anything against viruses?

And what is this chlamydia stuff anyway.  I'd never heard of it
before, and now its in magazine articles and on the net.  Is this
the newest fad bug?

Yours in confusion ...
-- 

E. Michael Smith  ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems

Computo ergo sum

The opinions expressed by me are not representative of those of any
other person - natural, unnatural, or fictional - and only marginally
reflect my opinions as strained by the language.