What is the Difference Between Chlamydia IgG and IgM

The key difference between Chlamydia IgG and IgM is that chlamydia IgG indicates chronic infection while chlamydia IgM indicates acute infection.

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection spread through unprotected sexual contact with infected genital fluids. Chlamydia infection is treatable through early diagnosis followed by a short course of antibiotics. In women, untreated chlamydia leads to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. Diagnosis of chlamydia is by chlamydia testing where the test identifies the bacterium Chlamydia trachomati. It is a small gram-negative bacterium capable of infecting mucosal surfaces. The chlamydia test is an antibody-based analyzing test. As a response to chlamydia infection, the body produces three types of antibodies: IgM, IgG, and IgA. The presence of these antibodies will indicate the type of infection and the time duration. Therefore, it is easy to diagnose the condition and to decide the suitable treatment option available through the chlamydia antibody test.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Chlamydia IgG 
3. What is Chlamydia IgM
4. Similarities – Chlamydia IgG and IgM
5. Chlamydia IgG vs IgM in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Chlamydia IgG vs IgM

What is Chlamydia IgG?

Chlamydia IgG is an antibody produced by the body in response to the infection chlamydia caused by Chlamydia trachomati. Chlamydia IgG will be present in the blood after 2-3 weeks upon infection. This indicates that the infection is at a stage of chronic infection. Therefore, immediate treatment is required in order to prevent the spreading of the infection to other organs.

Moreover, chronic chlamydia indicates the presence of all three antibodies: IgM, IgG, and IgA. If the blood analysis indicates positive chlamydia IgG, it means it is a past infection or in a re-convalescent period.

What is Chlamydia IgM?

Chlamydia IgM is an antibody produced by the body in response to the infection chlamydia caused by Chlamydia trachomati. The presence of chlamydia IgM can be observed in a blood analysis after 5 days of infection, which confirms that the infection is at a stage of acute infection.

IgM is the first antibody to be present in blood upon infection. Chlamydia IgA will replace chlamydia IgM after 10 days of initial infection. It is important to start a short course of antibiotics if the blood analysis confirms the presence of chlamydia IgM since it indicates that the infection is still at its primary stage. Hence, initial treatment is much easier than treatment at a prolonged stage.

What are the Similarities Between Chlamydia IgG and IgM?

• Chlamydia IgG and IgM are two types of antibodies.
• Moreover, these antibodies are specific to chlamydia infection.
• Both antibodies are present in the blood.
• They provide evidence of the disease and the type of stage.
• Chlamydia IgG and IgM in the blood can be diagnosed through immune assays.

What is the Difference Between Chlamydia IgG and IgM?

Chlamydia IgG indicates chronic infection while chlamydia IgM indicates acute infection. Thus, this is the key difference between chlamydia IgG and IgM. Chlamydia IgG will be present in the blood after 2-3 weeks upon infection, while chlamydia IgG will be present in the blood after 5 days upon infection. Moreover, IgG antibodies are not diagnosed at the initial stage of the infection, while IgM antibodies are diagnosed at the initial stage of the infection.

The below infographic presents the differences between chlamydia IgG and IgM in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Chlamydia IgG vs IgM

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that spreads through unprotected sexual contact with infected genital fluids. This disease is diagnosed by chlamydia testing, where the test identifies the infection of the bacterium Chlamydia trachomati. The chlamydia test is an antibody-based analyzing test to detect chlamydia antibodies: IgM, IgG, and IgA. Chlamydia IgG indicates chronic infection while chlamydia IgM indicates acute infection. Chlamydia IgG will be present in the blood after 2-3 weeks upon infection, while chlamydia IgG will be present in the blood after 5 days upon infection. So, this summarizes the difference between Chlamydia IgG and IgM.

Reference:

1. “Chlamydia Symptoms and Treatment.” Illnesses & Conditions | NHS Inform.
2. Theunissen, J J et al. “Detection of IGG, IGM and IGA Antibodies in Patients with Uncomplicated Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection: A Comparison between Enzyme Linked Immunofluorescent Assay and Isolation in Cell Culture.” International Journal of STD & AIDS, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Human epithelial cell infected with Chlamydia trachomatis” By ZEISS Microscopy (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) via
2. “Gram, negative, psittaci, bacteria, psittacosis, parrot, fever” (CC0) via Pixino