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What causes chlamydia in the throat? Related conditions and treatments

Medically reviewed by Ashley Wong, Pharm. D.
Licensed Pharmacist
Updated Feb. 21, 2024  •  Published Jan. 17, 2024
Fact Checked
What causes chlamydia in the throat? Related conditions and treatments

What does chlamydia in the throat feel like?

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. It is one of the most commonly reported STIs in the U.S. People get infected by having vaginal sex, oral sex, or anal sex with an infected person. The overwhelming majority of people who get chlamydia have no symptoms of chlamydia at all. Even so, the infection can cause permanent damage, particularly in women. Complications in women include pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy, and infertility.

Oral chlamydia occurs when the mouth or throat gets infected, usually as the result of performing oral sex on a person infected with chlamydia. Like genital or anal chlamydia, most cases of oral chlamydia are asymptomatic. When they do occur, they typically don’t resemble an STI. When genital chlamydia has symptoms, they’re typically pain when urinating or a urethral or vaginal discharge. Oral chlamydia doesn’t cause symptoms like that. Instead, the most common sign of chlamydia in the throat (pharyngeal chlamydia) is a sore throat. However, a sore throat could be a sign of any throat infection or problem. Other symptoms might include swollen lymph nodes, swollen tonsils, redness or white spots at the back of the throat, or a low fever. Unfortunately, these, too, aren’t symptoms that specifically point to a chlamydia infection. It’s easy to misread these symptoms as something other than an STI.

Key takeaways:

  • Chlamydia in the throat is an uncommon condition that is caused by a chlamydia infection caught by having oral sex with an infected partner.

  • Typically, chlamydia in the throat does not require immediate medical attention.

  • Chlamydia in the throat generally does require treatment. It typically resolves with treatment within seven days.

  • Treatment of chlamydia in the throat involves a course of antibiotics.

  • Chlamydia in the throat cannot be managed with home remedies, supplements, or over-the-counter medications.

  • Use coupons for treatments for chlamydia in the throat, like Zithromax (azithromycin), doxycycline, and levofloxacin to save up to 80%.

What causes chlamydia in the throat?

Chlamydia in the throat is caused by having receptive oral sex with an infected partner. Both women and men are equally likely to catch the infection by having oral sex with other women or men. In a study reviewing the prevalence of chlamydia infections, the researchers found that the median prevalence of chlamydia in the throat was 1.7% for women, 1.6% for men who have sex with women, and 1.7% for men who have sex with men.

Should I be worried about chlamydia in the throat?

Chlamydia in the throat should be treated to prevent complications and the spread of the disease. Untreated chlamydia can have complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or permanent damage to reproductive organs and infertility in women. Chlamydia infections increase the risk of an ectopic pregnancy and can be spread to a newborn. Reactive arthritis is another rare complication that can be experienced by both men and women infected with chlamydia.

See a healthcare professional if you have symptoms of an oral chlamydia infection and are sexually active. People should also get regularly screened for chlamydia infection if they have any risk factors for contracting an STD. These include having unprotected sex, multiple sex partners, or sex with another person who is infected with an STD.

How is the cause of chlamydia in the throat diagnosed?

Healthcare professionals diagnose chlamydia in the throat from a medical history, review of symptoms, physical exam, and testing of a sample. For chlamydia of the throat, a definitive diagnosis is made with a swab test using nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT). If genital chlamydia is also suspected, the healthcare provider may use a urine sample for NAAT testing. Other tests may be used, particularly rapid testing, that can arrive at a fairly reliable result in a short time at little cost. If no tests are available, the clinician will use their best judgment.

In conducting a chlamydia test, the healthcare professional will probably perform other STI tests since other infections are a possibility. The clinician may also test women for pregnancy or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

It is strongly urged that people diagnosed with an STI have their sexual partners tested, as well. If not, they can easily catch the infection a second time.

Is chlamydia in the throat contagious? 

Chlamydia in the throat is contagious, and the bacteria is present in saliva for as long as the infection lasts. Chlamydia in the throat can be spread from the throat to another person’s genitals, urinary tract, or rectum through oral sex. Healthcare professionals do not believe that kissing can spread oral chlamydia.

How long does chlamydia in the throat last?

Without treatment, chlamydia is likely to be a lifelong infection, though not always. Treatment with antibiotics is 95% effective at clearing the infection.

How to stop chlamydia in the throat

As a bacterial infection, chlamydia is treated with a course of antibiotics. Treatment options are limited to the most effective antibiotics. The CDC chlamydia treatment guidelines recommend seven days of doxycycline. If that’s not possible, other treatments include a single large dose of azithromycin or seven days of levofloxacin. Healthcare professionals aren’t certain about the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating chlamydia of the throat specifically, but observational studies suggest that doxycycline is the best choice.

Healthcare providers will ask people being treated for chlamydia to abstain from sexual intercourse or other sexual activity for the entire seven-day treatment period. They may also ask the person not to have sex until their partner has tested negative or finished treatment.

Follow-up testing may occur three weeks after treatment ends to verify that the infection has been eradicated, but healthcare providers won’t ask that of everyone. People should be retested three months later to ensure they haven’t caught a second chlamydia infection.

Living with chlamydia in the throat

Like all infections, a chlamydial infection can recur for the same reasons the first one was caught. Reinfection is common even in people who have only one sexual partner. For women, recurrent chlamydia infections increase the risk of complications such as PID, blocked fallopian tubes, ectopic pregnancy, abscess, and infertility.

The CDC recommends the following to protect your sexual health by preventing STDs:

  • Abstain from sex

  • If that’s not possible, strive to be in a long-term, mutually monogamous sexual relationship

  • If that’s not possible, limit the number of sexual partners you have

  • Use condoms when having sex—latex condoms are very effective at preventing chlamydia infections

  • Use condoms or dental dams when giving oral sex to a man or woman

  • Get tested regularly

Most importantly, get tested if you think you have an STD

Anyone who suspects they may have contracted an STD should ask a healthcare provider or clinic for an STD test. There are good reasons to worry:

  • Having unprotected sex.

  • Having multiple partners.

  • Having sex with someone who’s infected with an STD.

  • Having symptoms that could be STD symptoms.

Because a chlamydial infection can cause pregnancy problems and infertility, the CDC recommends chlamydia screening once per year for all sexually active women younger than 25 years of age Older women who engage in high-risk sexual activity should also be screened for chlamydia once per year. The CDC also recommends chlamydia screening for pregnant women and certain sexually active men who have sex with other men.

What’s next? Additional resources for people with chlamydia in the throat

Test and diagnostics

Treatments

Scientific studies and clinical trials

Medically reviewed by Ashley Wong, Pharm. D.
Licensed Pharmacist

Ashley Wong, Pharm.D., has worked for healthcare companies where she translated complex drug information into easy-to-understand language for patients. She also served as a Senior Medical Information Specialist at a medical communications company, where she delivered clinically accurate drug information to healthcare providers and patients and compiled adverse event reports in accordance with the FDA's reporting guidelines.

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