Seroprevalence of chlamydia trachomatis infection in Kashmiri women of reproductive age with mucopurulent cervicitis, infertility and ectopic pregnancy - a hospital based study

Authors

  • Qurat U. Hassan Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, L. D. Hospital, Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India
  • Asma H. Mufti Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, L. D. Hospital, Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India
  • Samiya Mufti Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, L. D. Hospital, Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20220188

Keywords:

Pelvic inflammatory disease, MPC, CT IgG

Abstract

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Objective was to find the seroprevalence of the Chlamydia trachomatis infection in women who suffer from infertility, mucopurulent cervicitis and ectopic pregnancy and to investigate the possible role of the chlamydial serology as a screening test by detection of the anti-Chlamydia IgG antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Methods: 160 women who attended the gynecology outpatient department (OPD) at a tertiary care hospital were screened for presence of chlamydia trachomatis IgG antibodies. Patients were categorized based on clinical diagnosis in: group I comprising of 120 patients [40 patients in each sub group - mucopurulent cervicitis (MPC); infertility; and ectopic pregnancy]; and group II comprising fertile women with no clinical signs and symptoms of mucopurulent cervicitis and no history of ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Patients were screened for IgG antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis.

Results: In our study 32.5% women with mucopurulent cervicitis were positive for Chlamydia trachomatis immunoglobulin G (CT IgG). In the infertile group, 22.5% of women were positive for chlamydia IgG antibodies. 30% of ectopic pregnancies were positive for chlamydia trachomatis IgG. Out of 40 patients who were taken as controls, 7.5% screened positive for Chlamydia IgG antibodies. Seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis was 23.12% in our study.

Conclusions: Our study has shown that significant proportion of our population harbor Chlamydia trachomatis. So, it becomes imperative that health and screening programs be employed to prevent spread of this infection and its long term sequelae in women of childbearing age.

References

World Health Organization. Global prevalence and incidence of selected curable sexually transmitted diseases: Overview and estimates. 2011. Available at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjZkYbFz8z1AhVC83MBHUD1AGMQFnoECAwQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.who.int%2Firis%2Fhandle%2F10665%2F66818&usg=AOvVaw27oYw2BM4sM5_AJBApUAdv. Accessed on 15 October 2021.

Singh V, Rastigoi S, Garg S, Kapur S, Kumar H, Salhem S, et al. Polymerase chain reaction for detection of endocervical Chlamydia trachomatis infection in women attending gynaecology OPD in in India. Acta Cytol. 2002;46:540-4.

Joyee AG, Thyagarajan SP, Sowmya B, Venkatesh C, Ganapathy M. Need for specific and routine strategy for the diagnosis of genital chlamydial infection among patient with STD in India. Indian J Med Res. 1997;10:60-84.

Fleming DT, Wasserheit JN. From epidemiological synergy to public health policy and practice. The contribution of other sexually transmitted disease to sexual transmission of HIV infection. Sex Transm Infect. 1999;75:3-17.

Paavonen J. Clinical manifestations and therapy of genital chlamydial infections in women. In: Proceedings of the European Society for Chlamydia Research, Bologna, Italy: Societa Editrice Esculapio. 1988;152-5.

McCormack WM, Alpert S, McComb DE, et al. Fifteen-months follow-up study of women infected with Chlamydia trachomatis, N Engl J Med. 1979;300:123-5.

Osser S, Persson K. Epidemiologic and serodiagnostic aspects of chlamydial salpingitis. Obstet Gynecol. 1982;59:206-9.

Wager GP, Martin DH, Kontsky L. Relationship to route of delivery and to antepartum Chlamydia trachomatis infections. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1980;158:1028-33.

Mårdh PA, Ripa T, Svensson L, Weström L. Chilamydia trachomatis infection in patients with acute salpingitis. N Engl J Med. 1977;296(24):1377-9.

MBrdh PA. An overview of infections agents of salpingitis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1980;138:933-51.

Dabekausen YA, Evers JL, Land JA, Stals FS. The Chlamydia trachomatis antibody testing is more accurate than hysterosalpingography in predicting the tubal factor infertility. Fertil Steril. 1994;61:833-7.

Cates W. Tubal infertility: An ounce of (more specific) prevention (editorial). JAMA. 1987;257:2480.

Malik A, Jain S, Hakim S, Shukla I, Rizvi M. The Chlamydia trachomatis infection and female infertility. Indian J Med Res. 2006;770-5.

Mardh PA, Wolner-Hansseen P. Three novel manifestations of Chlamydia trachomatis infection: Endometritis, Perihepatitis and meningoencephalitis. Infection. 1982;10:57-60.

Konstantinou GN. Enzyme – linked immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Methods Mol Biol. 2017;1592:79-94.

Maghsoudlou P, Shah K. Enzyme –linked Immunsorbent Assay (ELISA); The basics. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2016;77(7).

Engvall E. The ELISA, Enzyme –linked Immunsorbent Assay. Clin Chem. 2010;56(2):319-20.

Cárcamo CP, Campos PE, García PJ, Hughes JP, Garnett GP, Holmes KK; Peru PREVEN study team. Prevalences of sexually transmitted infections in young adults and female sex workers in Peru: a national population-based survey. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012;12(10):765-73.

El-Tamamy EA, Mohamed AH, Hablas WR, El-Rahman SHA. Al-Azhar Med J. 2020;49(1):229-40.

Venkatesh BMS, Vivekanand N, Rao R. Prevalence of chlamydia trachomatis infection in women with pelvic inflammatory disease, mucopurulent cervicitis and infertility in Hyderabad. J Cont Med A Dent. 2016;4(1):13-7.

Hillis SD, Owens LM, Marchbanks PA, Amsterdam LE, Mac Kenzie WR. Recurrent Chlamydia infections increase the risk of hospitalization for ectopic pregnancy and pelvic inflammatory disease. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1997;176:103-7.

EL-Guindy A, Rabei N, Mohammed N, Hassan N. Prevalence of the anti-chlamydial antibodies in infertile women and its association with tubal factor infertility. Int J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2016;3(4):310-25.

Kihlstrtim E, Lindgren R, Ryden G. 2 Antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis in women with infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 1990;35:199-204.

Downloads

Published

2022-01-28

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles