Final answer:
Chlamydia, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, is the most commonly diagnosed communicable disease in the United States, surpassing other STIs such as gonorrhea and syphilis in prevalence.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chlamydia is one of the most commonly diagnosed communicable diseases in the United States. It is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. This bacterial STI is particularly prevalent in the country, with more diagnosed cases than other STIs such as syphilis, genital warts, and gonorrhea. While gonorrhea, caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is also a common infection and has high incidence rates, chlamydia's rates are even higher. In terms of diagnosis and reporting, in 2014 there were about 350,000 incidents of gonorrhea in contrast to 1.44 million incidents of chlamydia, making chlamydia the most commonly reported STI. Many individuals infected with chlamydia are asymptomatic, which can lead to untreated infections spreading to more severe health issues like pelvic inflammatory disease in women and epididymitis in men.