Chlamydia trachomatis also causes blindness, while its cousin, Chlamydia pneumoniae, is implicated in childhood asthma and adult emphysema.

ECONOMIST: Bugged by disease

But perhaps the most worrying of all these findings is the suspected link between Chlamydia pneumoniae and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

ECONOMIST: Bugged by disease | The

Those involved in the study were also tested for Chlamydia pneumoniae, which causes lung diseases, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which can cause a mild form of pneumonia.

BBC: Herpes virus linked to dementia