Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a specific type of Chlamydia trachomatis (serovars L1, L2, and L3). LGV is highly prevalent in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America but has been rare in Western Europe for many decades.
Since 2003 a series of outbreaks of LGV have been reported in European cities among men who have sex with men (MSM). All current European outbreaks are of the L2 genotype. Most cases present with proctitis, are of white ethnicity, and are HIV-positive.