Chlamydia trachomatis infection in infertile and pregnant women in southern Brazil

Authors

  • Deborah Beltrami Gomez Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5370-5392
  • Ivan Sereno Montenegro UFRGS
  • Guilherme Rezende Baade UFRGS
  • Paula Barros Terraciano UFRGS
  • Raquel de Almeida Schneider HCPA
  • Débora Helena Zanini Gotardi HCPA
  • Victória Furquim dos Santos Cardoso HCPA
  • Eduardo Pandolfi Passos UFRGS

Keywords:

Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia infections, prevalence, Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques, Infertility, female, Fluorescent Antibody Technique

Abstract

Introduction: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infection, affecting mainly young, sexually active women. Untreated infection may lead to reproductive complications due to tubal damage. Infections during pregnancy may cause preterm labor, low birth weight, perinatal death, and neonatal conjunctivitis and pneumonia. There are few data on CT infection in Brazil. The aim of this study was to determine CT prevalence in infertile and pregnant women.

Methods: A cross-sectional study included 77 infertile and 60 asymptomatic pregnant women. First-void urine was tested for CT using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). Blood samples were collected for CT IgG antibodies testing using indirect immunofluorescence. A questionnaire about medical, gynecological, and sexual history was completed by all participants.

Results: We found statistically similar prevalence of PCR and IgG antibodies between the groups. There was a 61% prevalence of CT IgG antibodies in infertile women and 56.7% in pregnant women. PCR was positive in only one (1.3%) infertile woman and in none pregnant women.

Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of CT IgG antibody in Brazilian pregnant and infertile women, but we found a low prevalence of positive PCR in the urine samples. CT antibodies were associated with sexual behavior and smoking.

Keywords: Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia infections, prevalence, nucleic acid amplification techniques; infertility, female; fluorescent antibody technique

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2016-10-21

How to Cite

1.
Gomez DB, Montenegro IS, Baade GR, Terraciano PB, Schneider R de A, Gotardi DHZ, Cardoso VF dos S, Passos EP. Chlamydia trachomatis infection in infertile and pregnant women in southern Brazil. Clin Biomed Res [Internet]. 2016 Oct. 21 [cited 2025 Apr. 29];36(3). Available from: https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/hcpa/article/view/65188

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 3 (2016): Clinical and Biomedical Research

Section

Original Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Most read articles by the same author(s)