Is chlamydia completely curable in women? Chlamydia: routes of infection, symptoms, treatment methods. It's a life sentence

IN Lately words chlamydia and chlamydia are found more and more often, and the phrases “I’m treating chlamydia" and "diagnostics chlamydia"are indispensable attributes of the advertisement page in any newspaper.
However, the prevalence and widespread use of these terms does not mean that at least any of the sick people really understand what they are sick with, who they are chlamydia, where they were before and where this misfortune came from.
First, let's talk about what it is chlamydia present. So, these are microorganisms that in many of their properties are similar to bacteria (for example, they have a cell membrane), but in size they are very close to viruses. Another very important feature chlamydia- in the human or animal body they are located inside cells - exactly like viruses. In short, chlamydia- unique microbes, these are not viruses, not bacteria; chlamydia- They chlamydia and there is. Their most important feature - unique way life, a unique development cycle that has no analogues in nature - first, large immature formations are formed in the cell, which do not have any infectious properties. But as they develop, they decrease by approximately 3-4 times, acquire infectious properties, destroy damaged cells and, emerging from them, infect healthy cells - and this is how a specific disease arises.
Chlamydia- this is not just one microbe, the genus of chlamydia includes more than 30 pathogens that cause a wide variety of diseases. And people have been suffering from these diseases since time immemorial, it’s just that the successes of microbiology have finally made it possible to establish them (diseases) the real reason. Illustrating Antiquity chlamydia infection, it should be noted that typical descriptions of illnesses clearly caused chlamydia, are available in ancient Egyptian papyri of the 15th century BC and it is known for certain that Horace and Cicero suffered chlamydia.
What diseases cause chlamydia? Different. For example, psittacosis is a disease that in some way resembles pneumonia, but its cause is not well-known streptococci and staphylococci, namely a special type chlamydia, found in 132 species of birds - wild and very wild, domestic and intracellular (which sit in cages), very often - parrots, pigeons, ducks, chickens. With infected excrement, down, feathers chlamydia enter the human body - through the mouth (if you do not wash your hands after cleaning the chicken coop), or through airborne dust. This is how the disease arises.
Another common medium chlamydia- cats (kittens). Infection occurs when direct contact between man and beast - through bites and scratches. At first, for example, just a scratch on the hand and that’s it. Then (after a couple of weeks) they increase axillary lymph nodes, the temperature rises sharply - this is a special chlamydia disease, which is called - "cat scratch disease".
Both psittacosis and cat scratch disease are so-called zoonotic chlamydia(the term “zoo-” is, in principle, understandable - animals are to blame for everything). But there is chlamydia anthroponotic, i.e. purely human. The most famous, most dangerous and most common disease is trachoma - chronic illness eye, which affects the conjunctiva and cornea. Many readers may not have heard this word, but trachoma is very widespread in many countries South America, Africa, Asia. The number of patients is at least 400 million, and in some years the number of people blind due to trachoma reaches 20 million! By the way, in the USSR there was a lot of trachoma in some areas, but as a mass disease it was eliminated by the end of the 60s and now only isolated cases occur.
The three listed diseases, although they occur in our country, do not attract mass interest from a wide readership because they are rare. Although, to be honest, psittacosis occurs much more often than it is diagnosed. And that's why. Fortunately, chlamydia, unlike viruses, are sensitive to the action of antibiotics, but not all. For example, the most common antibiotics of the penicillin group (ampicillin, oxacillin) or cephalosporins (cefazolin, cephalexin) do not act on chlamydia In general, tetracycline and erythromycin work very well. Poultry worker Aunt Masha fell ill with pneumonia, they prescribed penicillin - no effect, prescribed tetracycline - she recovered. We now understand that, most likely, it was psittacosis, but what difference does it make to Aunt Masha - Aunt Masha is not a scientist, it is not the diagnosis that is important to her, but the end result.
However, interest in chlamydia is rapidly increasing, and the reason for this is a special variant of the disease, called urogenital chlamydia .
Urogenital chlamydia- a sexually transmitted disease, it can be acute or chronic, and its symptoms are very diverse. It is clear that if we're talking about about damage (inflammation) of organs genitourinary area, then the symptoms will be appropriate - pain during urination, discharge, itching, and various inflammations, detected when ultrasound examination(prostatitis in men, adnexitis in women, etc.). But!!! Symptoms that allow us to say with confidence: this chlamydia- does not exist. A huge number of other microbes - from the well-known gonococcus to the mysterious ureoplasma - can cause diseases and symptoms indistinguishable from chlamydia.
Urogenital chlamydia it became a lot, if not very much. But there was no more of it than there was. They just learned how to diagnose it. Chlamydia In general, it is difficult to detect and grow - it does not grow on ordinary microbiological media; for its growth, feed it exclusively living cells. Therefore, to prove there is chlamydia or not - very long and very expensive. Now there are so-called diagnosticums that can not grow chlamydia, but to answer two questions: is it in the body chlamydia or not and yes or not antibodies to chlamydia(that is, special cells produced by the body in response to penetration chlamydia).
Let's return to the question "it has become a lot." In the USA, for example, every year a diagnosis urogenital chlamydia installed 3 million times, and in England - 70,000 times. No one knows how many such patients we have. Diagnosticums are very expensive, the domestic industry does not produce them, therefore, the diagnosis chlamydia can only be determined by someone who has the ability and desire to pay for the diagnostic.
Some fundamental points that are nevertheless important to know.

Natural (innate) immunity to chlamydia does not exist. Anyone who gets chlamydia into their body has quite a high risk get sick. Past illness does not provide immunity - in short, you can get sick as many times as you like.

Everything you have heard before about ways to become infected with sexually transmitted diseases is directly related to chlamydia. The most similar are the symptoms, the routes of infection, and the consequences in the absence of proper treatment - chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Many leading experts in venereal diseases consider: if there are symptoms of acute urethritis (frequent, painful urination) and gonococcus (the causative agent of gonorrhea) is not detected - probability chlamydia 70% and above.

Gonococcus and chlamydia- often live together, causing urethritis and other genitourinary diseases, even infection very often occurs simultaneously.

What to do to avoid getting sick urogenital chlamydia? Most reliable way- exclude sex life, but is seen by many as unacceptable. But limiting the number of sexual partners + a condom are fairly reliable ways of prevention.

What to do if you get sick: contact a specialist, the number of medications you use chlamydia successfully treated, quite large.

Treating yourself is a waste of money. If you have a regular sexual partner, treat together.

Quite often diagnostic tests indicate the presence chlamydia, but no clinical symptoms at the same time no. None of the medical guidelines has a clear answer to the question: what to do in this case? Research in the field chlamydia infection in the most active way are ongoing, and the study chlamydia included in the program of priority tasks World Organization Healthcare. Most likely, if you are not a monk, you still need treatment - the absence of signs of illness in a particular person does not provide grounds for exposing others to the risk of infection.

Untreated urogenital chlamydia capable of causing quite serious complications both men and women; impotence rarely develops, but infertility often occurs.

Main. Chlamydia not a tragedy, but a nuisance. From chlamydia don't die. Chlamydia being treated. But both your health and the doctor’s recommendations should be treated with respect - the choice of antibiotic, the prescription of drugs that stimulate the immune system, the timing of treatment, and prevention repeated infections- all this is not as simple as it may seem at first glance, but it is also not so difficult as to tear out your hair and sadly say goodbye to both life in general and sex life in particular.

Many patients assume that the disease is incurable. But this is not true. Indeed, sometimes quite long therapy is required to cure chlamydia. This may be due to the inability to assign more effective drugs, for example, due to the state of the immune system, intestinal microflora or genitourinary tract.

In addition to antibiotics, treatment may include taking an immunomodulator, antimicrobial drugs, multivitamins, probiotics, and bacteriophages. For local therapy used vaginal and rectal suppositories, baths, enemas, tampons. Both sexual partners should receive treatment. Even if a person completely cures the disease, there is a high probability of becoming infected again, since immunity to sexually transmitted infections is not formed.

Why is it difficult to cure chronic chlamydia and is it necessary to treat it?

If a patient asks for medical care V acute period, then the treatment lasts for several weeks and ends full recovery. But the problem is that in most cases the clinical picture is erased. A person either has no symptoms or they are mild and not cause for concern. After a couple of days of minimal discomfort in the genitourinary system, everything subsides and the person believes that the problem has resolved itself. But the disease has become chronic, and with the next decrease in immunity it appears again.

Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the manifestations of chlamydia. For women it is:

• discharge from the genitals;
• pain when urinating;
• pain in the lower back and lower abdomen;
• temperature increase;
• discomfort during sexual intercourse.

One of the methods for selecting a drug for the treatment of chlamydia is drawing up an antibiogram. This laboratory analysis, in which chlamydia taken from a patient is grown in order to determine the most effective antibiotic for this species. The dosage of the drug is also important, since if it is underestimated, it will be ineffective. If the required result is not obtained after two weeks of treatment, it means that the microorganism has adapted to the antibiotic, and the symptoms will decrease until the next decrease in immunity.

When treating chronic chlamydia, you must adhere to the following rules:

Chlamydia suppresses the immune system, which leads to various kinds complications. For men it is:

1. Urethritis. Signs of mucosal pathology purulent discharge from the urethra and frequent painful urination.
2. Prostatitis. The infection causes inflammation in the prostate gland. A man experiences pain in the rectum, groin, lower back, as well as difficulty urinating, and problems with potency may appear.
3. Epididymitis. Appears as inflammation in the epididymis. This provokes impaired spermatogenesis and infertility. Manifested by fever, redness and swelling of the scrotum.

Women, due to anatomical structure, are more susceptible to infection with chlamydia.

In the absence of therapy, it is possible:

• endocervicitis - the cervix is ​​inflamed;
• endometritis - inflammation of the uterus;
• salpingitis - the fallopian tubes inflamed;
• salpingo-oophoritis- the uterine appendages are inflamed.

Chlamydia in women contributes to the formation of adhesions and scars, which lead to the formation tubal infertility, provoke spontaneous abortion, become the cause ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydia can lead to inflammation of the pharynx, kidneys, joints, bronchi, lungs, kidneys, and rectum. Reiter's disease is a disease caused by chlamydia and it affects the eyes (conjunctivitis), genitourinary system (urethritis), and joints (arthritis).

How long does it take to treat chlamydia?

How long chlamydia is treated depends on:

Can chlamydia be cured the first time?

Yes, we can cure, but all the efforts and knowledge of a specialist will not yield results if the patient forgets to take medications and does not follow the instructions.

Despite the fact that chlamydia was found in the human body a little over fifty years ago, for a long time the world of scientists could not form a consensus on where they came from. Can chlamydia be cured? Medicines for chlamydia are given below in the article. But first you need to find out what this disease is.

Chlamydia: characteristics of the disease

And even though four types of microorganisms are known today, causing chlamydia, only one of them has the maximum danger to humans: Chlamydia trachomatis - sedentary intracellular bacteria that primarily infect genitourinary system(approximately 60% of non-coccal urethritis is usually due to chlamydia). How does infection occur? Chlamydia can be classified as a sexually transmitted disease (STD), i.e. The main route of infection is sexual contact. But it should be noted that during sexual contact, infection does not occur in 100% of situations. To compare: sexual intercourse with a person with gonorrhea ends in infection in 3 out of 4 cases, and chlamydia after sexual intercourse with a carrier of chlamydia occurs only in 1 out of 4 cases. However, women's susceptibility to chlamydia is higher than that of men.

Can chlamydia be cured?

Wondering if chlamydia can be cured? According to WHO advice, treatment for the disease should include: diet; taking antibiotics (single use of azithromycin, or a weekly course of doxycycline); sexual abstinence.

Treatment for chlamydia should begin after a high-quality diagnosis. You should not rely only on symptoms (discharge, burning) during treatment for chlamydia. Quite often, the symptoms of the disease can be misleading, which is why testing for chlamydia is necessary. High Quality. You also need to apply special drugs.

Getting rid of this STD is possible with the right and timely approach. If the study was able to identify microorganisms in the blood, the treatment regimen for chlamydia is often based on the use of antibiotics that have a detrimental effect on the bacteria. Based on features human body and stage of the disease, chlamydia therapy can take 1-3 weeks.

Can chlamydia be cured during pregnancy?

IN special attention treatment of chlamydia in women during pregnancy is required. It must be safe for the health of the mother and fetus, and also the most effective, because with an advanced disease, during childbirth the child may be infected with chlamydia.

Therapy and medications for the treatment of chlamydia are chosen by the doctor, based on the degree of the disease and the characteristics of the patient’s body. It is also necessary to take into account every detail when prescribing certain medications.

Medicines for chlamydia

Medicines for chlamydia are prescribed mainly antibacterial action, i.e. antibiotics. These medications have a destructive effect on microorganisms, thereby “cleansing” the body of bacteria.

Besides the pills, medical workers medications are also prescribed for chlamydia to help maintain gastrointestinal tract. This is necessary to prevent dysbacteriosis, which can be caused by drugs for the treatment of chlamydia.

Behind last years Physiotherapy began to be used in the treatment of chlamydia: quantum therapy, electrophoresis, ultrasound, etc.

To cure chlamydia, a variety of external medications are prescribed, such as baths and enemas. Suppositories are also prescribed. Women are prescribed vaginal suppositories.

In addition to the direct effect on bacteria when treating chlamydia in men, as well as women, it is important to be careful about strengthening the immune system. Infection can undermine the body's defenses. For chlamydia, doctors prescribe a course of immunomodulators. Therapy for chlamydia with drugs gives results when everything is done in accordance with the doctor’s recommendations.

There are many myths that chlamydia infection is lifelong. So can chlamydia be cured? If you put in effort and perseverance, you can lift an elephant. Therefore in in this case The answer is affirmative: yes, the disease can be treated.

Causes of chlamydia

Chlamydia is venereal disease. Its causative agent is the tiny microorganism Chlamydia trachomatis. The peculiarity of chlamydia is that, when they enter the victim’s body, they invade the cells. They live there and reproduce. Gradually the colony grows and covers everything large areas. As a result, the body's strength is depleted, and resistance to viruses and infections decreases due to constant intoxication.

Microorganisms are resistant to a number of antibiotics. And to those that destroy them, they gradually adapt and also become immune.

You can become infected with chlamydia:

• during sexual intercourse;
• through household items;
• through sick birds or animals;
• during oral sex.

Chlamydia is most common among young people, less common among middle-aged people. The risk group consists of men and women who are promiscuous and often change sexual partners. Also people who neglect elementary rules hygiene. Chlamydia often enters the body along with another sexually transmitted disease. For example, a combination of chlamydia and gonorrhea is not uncommon.

Characteristic symptoms

The incubation period for men is 5-7 days, for women it is about a month. Until the disease makes itself felt with pronounced symptoms, the patient does not experience any suspicious or unusual sensations.

Common symptoms of chlamydia are:

• the appearance of translucent discharge from the urinary canal;
• sensation of cutting and burning when urinating;
• severe itching of the genitals;
• adhesion of the edges of the urethra.

Some patients feel weak. Sometimes the temperature rises slightly. If the disease is not treated, it will soon become chronic. In this case, the symptoms become blurred and are not expressed as clearly as at the beginning. In women, chlamydia initially settles in the urinary canal and on the cervix.

Symptoms are characterized by:

• the appearance of copious mucous discharge with particles of pus;
• the appearance of an unpleasant, pungent smell of rot;
• bleeding throughout the entire monthly cycle;
• burning sensation when urinating;
• periodic attacks of pain in the pelvis;

At chronic chlamydia sexual intercourse becomes painful. In men, the onset of the disease may resemble cystitis. There is a feeling of pain when urinating. In the morning after sleep, small translucent drops of mucus are released from the urethra. Gradually the discharge turns purulent. The urethra begins to itch very much. After urination and during sexual intercourse, a little blood comes out during ejaculation.

How soon does it heal?

Is there a cure for chlamydia? Yes, chlamydia, even chronic, is treatable and completely curable. But the specialist who will undertake such treatment must be chosen carefully. There are often cases when a venereologist draws up a complex treatment regimen and prescribes great amount medicines. The results are often disappointing. The healed disease makes itself felt again after some time. It also happens that medications are prescribed that are mutually exclusive to each other. medicinal characteristics. Then the patient begins serious problems with health.

You cannot prescribe the same drug for the entire period of therapy. Chlamydia easily adapts to the components of the medicine and stops accepting it. At the first symptoms of the disease, you should immediately contact a specialist. Then the treatment will not last long. On average it will take about two weeks. And you won’t have to constantly alternate medications.

Treatment for chronic chlamydia is long and difficult. Treatment can last six months. In this case, it is necessary to take tests every 20 days to determine whether the disease is amenable to the prescribed treatment. Treatment of chlamydia is carried out comprehensively. To get rid of chlamydia, various antibiotics (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, macrolides), as well as antibacterial drugs, are prescribed. To support a depleted body and increase immunity, vitamins and immunomodulatory agents are additionally prescribed.

During treatment, sexual intercourse should be avoided. They are treated for chlamydia together with their regular sexual partner, so as not to become infected again later. During drug therapy you need to watch your diet. All dairy products, including ice cream, should be avoided. Do not flavor dishes with hot and spicy seasonings. It is forbidden to drink alcoholic drinks. Food must be nutritious rich in vitamins and microelements.

Chlamydia and pregnancy

Pregnant women with chlamydia are at greater risk of losing their baby than others.

Spontaneous miscarriage often occurs in the first - second trimester. And it is not recommended to give birth with this disease: the child may be born dead or due to serious illnesses, provoked intrauterine infection chlamydia, die soon after birth.

Infection can occur during childbirth, when the baby passes through birth canal. In such newborns, chlamydia affects the mucous membranes of the eyes. In infants, conjunctivitis begins. To avoid all the problems that arise when infected with chlamydia, you should be careful and selective in choosing a sexual partner. You should worry about upcoming sexual intercourse in advance: purchase a condom.

The disease is an infection, the treatment of which is difficult even with the use of potent drugs and antibiotics. The complexity of the disease lies in its difficult detection, because it occurs unnoticed, with virtually no symptoms, but with frequent relapses. It becomes chronic, causing inconvenience to both men and women. The course of treatment can range from one day to several years.

What is chronic chlamydia?

Chlamydia is a group of infections that is sexually transmitted through the vagina and rectum, less commonly oral sex. Caused by chlamydia - pathogens. There are two types of these bacteria:

1. The former cause ornithosis infection in people, birds, and animals;
2. The latter have 15 varieties, two of which affect the genitourinary system, causing urogenital chronic chlamydia.

Statistics show that 100 million people fall ill every year in the world. Up to 15% of sexually active people are infected with chlamydia. Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection. This is due to the fact that the disease is an asymptomatic type, so venereologists turn to the fight against it Special attention. Chlamydia causes wide range diseases, spreading throughout the body.

Symptoms

Patients do not understand what they are developing chlamydial infection. They believe that the symptoms indicate cystitis or urethritis, because individual signs appear: discharge from the vagina and urethra with a white or yellow tint, burning when urinating, redness around the genitals. Symptoms are observed only after the disease becomes chronic with developing complications. The main symptoms include:

1. recurring diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
2. sharp, long pain during defecation;
3. pain in the eyes;
4. joint pain.

In men

The disease in men occurs with virtually no symptoms; 50% of them can learn about the disease only after examination in the hospital. In the acute form, men are concerned about:

1. increase in body temperature to 37.5°C;
2. weakness, malaise;
3. glassy, ​​mucous, purulent discharge from urethra;
4. itching, irritation, burning in the urethra when urinating;
5. cloudy urine;
6. bloody issues when urinating or ejaculating;
7. pain in the groin and lower back;
8. redness, swelling of the external opening of the urethra;
9. discomfort in the perineum;
10. pain in the scrotum, anus.

These factors do not cause much discomfort and pass quickly, so many do not consult a doctor. The state of health is deteriorating, but unnoticeably. It becomes chronic. Chlamydia infection can trigger autoimmune processes, cause infertility, chronic prostatitis, arthritis. The above symptoms are similar to signs of other infections, so it is possible to identify the pathogen only in a hospital after undergoing an examination.

Among women

Symptoms appear in only 33% of women; the rest can find out about the disease after visiting a doctor and undergoing secondary tests. The hidden course of the disease causes a number of complications and increases the chance of infecting a partner. Even a vaginal smear may be normal. During an exacerbation, women experience the following symptoms:

1. temperature increase to 37°C – 37.5°C;
2. pain in the lower abdomen, lumbar region;
3. frequent urges to urination, pain;
4. stinging when starting to have a bowel movement Bladder;
5. signs of intoxication (weakness, fatigue, etc.);
6. mucopurulent, white, yellowish discharge With pungent odor;
7. itching, irritation on the genital mucosa;
8. discharge with blood from the cervix;
9. cervical erosion (diagnosed by a gynecologist).

Chlamydia will bring many problems to pregnant women. May occur inflammatory diseases pelvic organs: salpingitis, endometritis and others. Adhesions appear, occur scar changes urethral mucosa. Chlamydia leads to serious consequences: premature rupture of water and childbirth, diseases of the newborn: conjunctivitis, otitis media, atypical pneumonia and other diseases internal organs. The infection can cause miscarriage or intrauterine fetal death.

Causes of the disease

The causes of infection depend on contact with the microorganism. Each strain has its own effect on the body. The main reason chronic chlamydia is ignoring symptoms acute form diseases. Chlamydia pathogens penetrate soft tissue cells. There are several routes of infection. The main ones are unprotected vaginal, anal, oral sexual contact. The risk of infection is 60%.

A newborn becomes infected with chlamydia from its mother while passing through the birth canal. This provokes future complications. The disease can be acquired by wearing shared underwear, using the same hygiene products. This type of infection is called contact-household infection. There is a risk of becoming infected from a patient with pneumonia by airborne droplets.

Treatment

Only doctors can determine the treatment method for chlamydia in chronic form, based on the results of blood, urine and immune enzyme tests, immunogram, liver test, bacterial culture, polymerase chain reaction. To cure the disease, both partners need to see a doctor. The main drugs are antimicrobial because they eliminate chlamydial infestation. During the therapy period active use 2 types of antibiotics.

For treatment, mixtures based on animal and plant enzymes are used. This method is called enzyme therapy, it increases concentration medicines at the site of infection. The liver and kidneys are stimulated, recovery is enhanced, and intoxication is reduced. The use of small doses of antioxidants and vitamins takes important place in the treatment of chlamydia due to the effective enhancement of immunity.

Hepatoprotectors are prescribed when antibiotics are used to maintain healthy condition liver with toxic effects. They reduce inflammation and improve immunity. Probiotics increase protective function intestines during treatment for diarrhea and dysbacteriosis. Immune drugs prevent the appearance of germs. Taking antibiotics alone to achieve results in treating the disease will not work.

Treatment in women

There are no ready-made methods with algorithms for the treatment of chlamydia in women, because everything depends on the form and condition of the disease and the diseases present. The main therapy is a combination of antibiotics with immunomodulators. During treatment, avoid sexual intercourse or use a condom. Avoid alcohol and stimulants that lower the immune system.

Treatment regimen

Exist different schemes treatment of chlamydia in women, which depends on many factors. The duration of the course, frequency and type of medication are prescribed. For chronic chlamydia it is prescribed basic treatment and recovery. If it started in the genitals inflammatory process, use the following scheme: you need to start with antibiotics, immune agents, vitamins, antioxidants, after a week add antifungal and enzyme drugs. If you have these and other complications during your illness, contact your doctor to get individual scheme.

Azithromycin

Modern medicine has developed many drugs, but Azithromycin has proven to be an order of magnitude better than the others. It acts quickly on chlamydia, excluding possible complications due to deep penetration into infected cells. It accumulates, effectively destroying the pathogen, and microorganisms do not develop immunity to the drug.

Treatment in men

In order for treatment of chlamydia in men to be effective, you need to consult a doctor. Single and short courses of treatment will not help in therapy. Even with making the right choice It is not possible to create a treatment regimen for the drug yourself. The methodology is determined depending on the analyzes obtained, which are carried out only in medical institutions.

Treatment regimen

Choose a treatment regimen chronic form chlamydia in men can be based on symptoms and clinical picture. Any scheme includes the use antibacterial drugs, drugs that stimulate immune system, probiotics and hepatoprotectors for recovery. At the same time, men attend physiotherapy, use folk remedies: infusions with decoctions.

Is it possible to cure chlamydia forever?

The question of whether chlamydia can be cured forever arises for everyone who has been diagnosed with the disease. There is an opinion that chlamydia cannot be treated, so many people do not begin to fight the infection. Risk fatal outcome no, but discomfort and complications will not keep you waiting. With rapid detection of the disease and selection correct scheme You will feel better within a month of treatment.

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