Cystitis associated with chlamydial infection of the genital tract in male guinea pigs.

Male guinea pigs were infected with the chlamydial agent of guinea pig inclusion conjunctivitis (GPIC) by intraurethral injection of chlamydiae or by placement of a drop of chlamydial suspension on the meatus of the extruded penis. Transient urethritis and cystitis were observed in animals infected by either method. The production of cystitis by the drop-on technique indicated that chlamydiae are able to ascend the urethra and that the bladder may be a target organ of chlamydial infection. When infected animals were immunosuppressed with cyclophosphamide, the number of guinea pigs with cystitis was increased, and chlamydiae could be detected in the bladder for as long as 50 days after infection. In contrast, GPIC was not detected in the bladders of untreated animals after day 18.