Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) has always been known as a sexually transmissible infection confined to equatorial regions but also as an 'imported' sexually transmissible infection in the Western world. However since 2003, with the first cases of LGV proctitis among men who have sex with men being reported in the Netherlands, an ongoing epidemic has been revealed in Western society dating back to at least 1981. In this article a case of LGV proctitis is presented and the state of the art diagnostics and treatment and common complications concerning LGV are discussed. Moreover, risk factors and the background of the recent epidemic of LGV in the Western world among men who have sex with men are summarized.
