Support is being sought for the Eighth International Symposium on Human Chlamydial Infections. These organisms are among the most prevalent of human pathogens. Chlamydia trachomatis is the world's leading cause of preventable blindness and our most common sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen with serious consequences to affected men, women, and newborn infants. C. pneumoniae is recognized as a very common respiratory pathogen and has recently been implicated in chronic respiratory disease and coronary artery disease. With recent advances in diagnosis and therapeutics, it is likely that important advances are imminent in control of sexually transmitted chlamydiae and trachoma. Modern techniques in molecular biology have aided and will continue to help in further characterizing clinical spectrum of chlamydial disease. With the recent explosion of information on these organisms, the time is right for another in a series of periodic international meetings on the subject. Previous success of these meetings has attested to the value of this venue for exchanging information and comparison of results in different countries. These meetings have continued to provide impetus for new research.
