Results of a Europe-wide investigation to assess the presence of a new variant of Chlamydia trachomatis

In 2006, a new variant of Chlamydia trachomatis was reported in Sweden. Three countries – Ireland, Norway, and Denmark – have detected the variant to date, but very few cases in total have occurred. The European network for STI surveillance (ESSTI) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assessed the potential spread of the variant in other European countries, and concluded that there is currently no evidence that the variant has spread widely across Europe. However, the variant strain has been reported in between 10% and 65% of infected patients in Sweden. It is too early to tell whether the variant will remain confined to Sweden or whether the number of cases will significantly increase. Enhanced surveillance will need to be continued to address these concerns.