Trouble in store

The number of women infected with Chlamydia trachomatis, a sexually
transmitted bacterium that can cause sterility, ectopic pregnancies and other
problems, may be higher than health authorities realise. A study led by
Charlotte Gaydos at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that almost 10
per cent of female US Army recruits tested positive for the infection. Among
17-year-old female recruits the figure was more than 12 per cent (The New
England Journal of Medicine, vol 339, p 739).