Seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in Women of Procreate Age in the Mayo-Boneye Department in Chad

Introduction: Chlamydia trachomatis infections constitute a major public health problem, particularly in women. The objective of this study is to identify Chlamydia trachomatis to improve the health of women in the Department of Mayo-Boneye. Methodology: This is a prospective observational study that took place from October to December 2021, including 168 patients with their sociodemographic characteristics. The venous blood of the patients was collected in dry tubes and centrifuged to obtain the serum. The Chlamydia IgG Rapid Test Cassette was used for the detection of antibodies to Chlamydia infection. The Epi Info 7TM software was used to perform the statistical analyses. Results: A total of 168 patients were included in this study. The average age was 26.36 ± 9.21 years, the median was 25.5 years with the extremes of 14 years and 70 years. Among these patients, 46.43% were illiterate, 5.95% and 20.83% were primary and secondary school students, respectively, and 26.79% university students. For marital status, 66.67% were single, 16.67% married, 10.71% divorced and 5.95% widowed. Regarding the profession, 26.79% were traders, 8.93% were employees and 64.29% unemployed. In this study, the 168 patients had performed Chlamydia trachomatis serology among whom 02 (1.19%) were excluded for invalid results and 10.71% presented positive cases. The city of Bongor was the most infected with 61% of cases. Among these patients, 54.22% were linked to risk factors for Chlamydia trachomatis. The most infected age group was between 25 and 35 with a seroprevalence of 5.36% of cases. Conclusion: In this study, Chlamydia trachomatis was positive for 10.71% of diagnosed cases. The most affected age groups are young, sexually active women. The State should emphasize the screening of women, the awareness of students and academics.

Tubal Infertility and Chlamydia Trachomatis in a Congolese Infertile Population

Infertility of tubal origin is the most frequent in sub-Saharan area. It is due to tuboperitoneal lesions mainly because of infection;especially sexually transmitted infection. Worldwide, Chlamydia trachomatis is the main pathogen. In our setting, some studies failed to establish the link between tubal infertility and chlamydia trachomatis. The current study aimed to determine the local data related to chlamydia trachomatis role in tubal infertility and the usefulness of Chlamydia trachomatis antibody titer test (CAT) in discrimination of the patients with and without tuboperitoneal lesions. Patients’ average age was 33.9 ± 4.8 years, average coitarche 19.4 ± 4.4 years and average number of partners: 3.1 ± 1.6. The level of CAT is correlated to the tuboperitoneal severity. CAT was more specific (93.3%;CI 95%: 81.7 - 98.6) than sensitive (72.7% CI 95%: 49.8 - 89.3) and discriminated correctly 89% (AUC = 0.89) of the patients with or without tuboperitoneal lesions. In conclusion, as it is stated worldwide, Chlamydia trachomatis is the most frequent sexually transmitted pathogen associated with tubal infertility. CAT has to be used as a tool to select patients to be submitted to invasive investigation, like laparoscopy.

Evaluation of patients with dry eye disease for conjunctival Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum

AIM：To determine the possibility of the development of dry eye disease（DED） as a result of persistent infection with Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum in the conjunctiva of patients.METHODS： This study was conducted on 58 patients of age range 20-50 y,diagnosed with DED confirmed by Schirmer I test and tear breakup time.The non-dry eye control group included 27 subjects of the same age.Ocular specimens were collected as conjunctival scrapings and swabs divided into three groups： the first used for bacterial culture,the second and third taken to detect Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum by direct fluorescent antibody（DFA） assay and polymerase chain reaction（PCR） method. RESULTS： Chlamydia trachomatis was detected in 65.5% and 76% of DED patients by DFA and PCR methods respectively.Ureaplasma urealyticum was found in 44.8% of DED infected patients using the PCR method.Both organisms were identified in only 37.9% of DED patients found to be infected.Control subjects had a 22%detection rate of Chlamydia trachomatis by DFA assay versus a 7% detection rate by PCR; while Ureaplasma urealyticum was detected in 3.7% of the controls by PCR method.The conjunctival culture revealed that gram positive microorganisms represented 75% of isolates with coagulase negative Staphylococci the most common（50%） followed by Staphylococcus aureus（20%）,whereas gram negative microorganisms occurred in 25% of cases,isolating Moraxella spp.as the most frequent organism. CONCLUSION： Our results tend to point out that Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum were detected in a moderate percentage of patients with DED,and could be a fair possibility for its development.PCR is more reliable in detecting Chlamydia trachomatis than DFA technique.The presence of isolated conjunctival bacterial microflora can be of some potential value.

Study of the prevalence and association of ocular chlamydial conjunctivitis in women with genital infection by Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium and Candida albicans attending outpatient clinic

AIMTo determine the association between chlamydial conjunctivitis and genital infection by Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium and Candida albicans, in addition to the possible relationship between cultured bacterial pathogens and oculogenital chlamydial infection.METHODSThis study was performed on 100 (50 symptomatic and 50 asymptomatic) women attending the Gynecological and Obstetric outpatient clinic of Alzahra hospital, Alazhar University. Simultaneously a conjunctival swab was taken from these patients. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done on DNA extracted from both vaginal and conjunctival swab samples. Culture for both vaginal and conjunctival swabs was also done.RESULTSCandida albicans was the predominant organism isolated by culture in 20% and 40% of conjunctival and vaginal swabs respectively. By the PCR method, ocular Chlamydia trachomatis was present in 60% of symptomatic women, while genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection was present in 30% of symptomatic women. The results of this method also indicated that 25/50 (50%) vaginal swabs were positive with PCR for Candida albicans versus 15/50 (30%) were PCR positive in conjunctival swab. Mycoplasma genitalium was present in only 10% of vaginal swabs. Concomitant oculogenital PCR positive results for Chlamydia trachomatis and Candida albicans were 30% and 28% respectively.CONCLUSIONOcular Chlamydia trachomatis was associated with genital Chlamydia trachomatis in a high percentage of women followed by Candida albicans. Cultured bacterial organisms do not play a role in enhancement of Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

High frequency of latent Chlamydia trachomatis infection in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

AIM： To determine the frequency of detection of ocular and extraocular Chlamydia trachomatis （CT） infection in non -high myopes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment （RRD）. METHODS： This was a single-center, nonrandomized, prospective, case-control study. One hundred and four patients were divided into a study group with RRD （n= 63） and a control group with traumatic retinal detachment （n=41）. Samples of subretinal fluid （SFR）, conjunctival, urethral/cervical swabs, and blood were collected. The frequency of detection of CT infection in SRF samples was determined by polymerase chain reaction （PCR）, direct fluorescence assay （DFA） and cell culture, whereas that in conjunctival swabs was determined by PCR and DFA, and those in urethral/cervical swabs and blood were determined by DFA. Yates Chi-square test （with Bonferroni correction） and two-tailed Student＇s t-test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS： SRF CT infection was detected more frequently in the study group （50.8%-71.4%） than in the control group （9.8%-12.2%） by all the methods used （P〈 0.01）. The frequency of detection of conjunctival CT infection by DFA was higher in the RRD patients compared with the controls （81.0% vs 24.4%, P=0.004）. The PCR detected conjunctival CT infection more often in the study group than in the controls （46.0% vs89.8%, P= 0.007）. The DFA detected CT in blood specimens almost as frequently as in urogenital specimens, for the RRD patients （61.2% vs 63.5%） and the controls （7.3% vs 9.8%）. CONCLUSION： CT infection is detected with high frequency in non-high myopes with RRD.

Trichomonas vaginalis and Chlamydia trachomatis Prevalence,Incidence and Associated Factors in Pregnant Adolescents from Belém City,in the Brazilian Amazon

Background: Adolescents are disproportionally affected by sexually transmitted infections (STI). Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) are the most frequent curable STI in adolescents, causing serious consequences for their reproductive health. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence and incidence of CT and TV, as well as their risk factors in pregnant adolescents from Belém, northern Brazilian Amazon. Methods: This prospective study enrolled 199 adolescents up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. They were scheduled for follow-up visit between 28 and 29 weeks of pregnancy. Sociodemographic and behavioral data were obtained by interview. Cervicovaginal samples were taken to test for TV, CT, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and bacterial vaginosis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to test the association of prevalent/incident CT and TV with the variables. Results: Prevalence of cervical CT infection was 33.7% (n = 67/ 199), and for trichomoniasis it was 4.0% (n = 8/199). Cervical ectopy increased the risk for prevalent CT (OR, 1.93;95% CI, 1.01 - 3.70), while having treated vaginal discharge in the past (OR, 0.51;95% CI, 0.26 - 0.98) and being married (OR, 0.10;95% CI, 0.01 - 0.83) were protective against current CT and TV, respectively. Among the 95 (47.7%) adolescents who completed follow-up, 15 cases of incident CT were identified. Incident CT was associated with having a formal or informal job (OR, 28.4;95% CI, 2.1 - 391.6) and bacterial vaginosis treatment at the baseline (OR, 0.08;95% CI, 0.01 - 0.69). Conclusion: Prevalence and incidence rates of TV and CT are high in this population devoid of STI routine screening. Treatment of bacterial vaginosis may benefit this population by reducing risk for CT acquisition.

Immunohistochemical Analysis of TNF-α and HSP-60 in Women with Tubal Factor Infertility Associated with Chlamydia Trachomatis

Summary: To explore the roles of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and heat shock protein 60 (HSP-60) in women with tubal factor infertility (TFI) associated with Chlamydia trachomatis, and to determine the mechanisms of fallopian adhesions in Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections, the expressions of TNF-α and HSP-60 were quantitatively determined in 60 cases of TFI and 30 controls by immunohistochemical technique. The patients with TFI were further divided into group A and group B according to the CT-DNA of cervical specimens of PCR. The quantitative analysis was conducted by employing computerized image analysis system. It is found that the expressions of TNF-α and HSP-60 were much higher in TFI patients than those of controls. Among CT-HSP responders, a stronger expression was correlated with more severe salpingeal pathology. It is concluded that TNF-α and HSP-60 play very important roles in fallopian tube adhesion and occlusion in TFI due to CT infection.

A Simple Method of Detecting Chlamydia Trachomatis UsingEnzymatically Amplified DNA and Immobilized Probes onMicrotiter Plate

We have develoPed a simPle and economical method f0r Chlamydia trachomatisdetecting, called microtiter plate hybridization (PCR-MPH), which may replace stan-dard PCR. This method is similar to that of an ELISA. Brithe, the PCR productslabeled at the 5'termini with biotin were hybridized with probes immobilized on a mi-crotiter well, and the bound PCR products were detected by streptavidin-c0njugatedenzymes followed by color development. Two inprovements have been made in immobi-lizing the probe to the microtiter wells, in terms of increasing both immobility and hy-bridization deciency. One is that singleustranded (ss )DNA, without the complemen-tary strand, is used. The other is that instead of a single copy, a tandem array of theprobe is used for immobilization and hybridization. Using of ssDNA containing abouta 5O-rePeat array of a relevant sequence as an immobilized probe, the sensitivity in-creased 1O-fold over that of a single oligonucleotide unit. We also found that the hy-brldizatlon condltions such as time, temPerature, and solution composition could be simplthed. The advantages of this microtiter plate-hybridization method for routinepathogens detecting are a short time assay, easy processing of large numbers of sansples, and the potential for automation.

Biological Effects of Chlamydiaphage phi CPG1 Capsid Protein Vp1 on Chlamydia Trachomatis In Vitro and In Vivo

The researches on chlamydia in recent years show that chlamydia bacteriophage may be a potential and effective means to solve the clinical infection of chlamydia trachomatis（Ct）. We investigated the biological effect of chlamydiaphage phi CPG1 capsid protein Vp1 on Ct both in Mc Coy cells and genital tract of mice. Different concentrations of Vp1 were co-incubated with Ct E serotype strain in Mc Coy cells. Female BALB/c mice were used to establish Ct E strain-induced urogenital infection model. They were randomly divided into five groups and given different treatments on the fifth day after Ct inoculation. Animals in groups 1 and 2 were given 30 μL different concentrations of Vp1 in the genital tract respectively, those in group 3 were intramuscularly injected with 30 μL Vp1, those in the infected group did not receive any intervention, and those in the control group received 30 μL PBS in the genital tract. The vaginal discharge was collected to identify the live chlamydia by cell culture and gene fragment by real time PCR different days after infection. Inhibition rate of 100 μg/m L and 50 μg/m L Vp1 proteins against Ct E strain in the Mc Coy cell cultures was 91% and 79% respectively. The number of intracellular Ct inclusion in the Mc Coy cells co-cultured with vaginal discharge of group 1 and group 2 was less than in the infected group, and that in group 1 was less than in group 2, on the 7th day after Ct inoculation. Real-time PCR showed that chlamydia concentration of the vaginal discharge in group 2 was lower than in the infected group, and that in group 1 was lower than in group 2 on the 10 th day. It was suggested that Vp1 capsid proteins had inhibitory effect on the proliferation of Ct serovar E strain in cell culture and mouse genital tract.

Consensus by Chinese Expert Panel on Chlamydia trachomatis-Resistant and Chlamydia trachomatis-Persistent Infection

Chlamydia trachomatis （Ct） genital infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease （STD） in China and the US. The morbidity of Ct genital infection in China has increased from 32.48/100,000 in 2008 to 37.18/100,000 in 2015.[1] The major areas of Ct infections are concentrated in the Zhujiang Delta, Changjiang Delta, Minjiang Area, and West China. In these areas, the highest incidence of Ct infection reaches 615.99/100,000 citizens. In the US, there are 1,441,789 reported Ct, which include 627.2 females and 278.4 males per 100,000 population. It is now the most prevalent STD, with its rate increasing to 22% in males and 6% in females.[2] Ct genital infection can cause epididymitis, prostatitis, cervicitis, annexitis, infertility, and atopic pregnancy, which have been identified as the major public health problems.

Clinical Observation of Pregnancy with Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection.

From 1992 to 1993, 1 389 cases of pregnancy at 12-20 gestational weeks were investigated. At first antenatal visit the samples of cervical secretion were taken for chlamydia trachomatis antigen test and blood samples were tested for antidody simultaneously. Micro immunofluorescence method

Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the genital tractis associated with inflammation and hypospermia inthe infertile male of China

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial disease worldwide. However, unlikethat in female infertility, the role of CT infection in male infertility remains controversial. The objective of this retrospective studywas to explore the impacts of CT infection in the genital tract on sperm quality, sperm acrosin activity, antisperm antibody levels,and inflammation in a large cohort of infertile males in China. A total of 7154 semen samples were collected from infertile malesubjects, 416 of whom were CT positive (CT+ group) and 6738 of whom were CT negative (CT− group), in our hospital betweenJanuary 2016 and December 2018. Routine semen parameters (semen volume, pH, sperm concentration, viability, motility,morphology, etc.), granulocyte elastase levels, antisperm antibody levels, and sperm acrosin activity were compared between theCT+ and CT− groups. Our results showed that CT infection was significantly correlated with an abnormally low semen volume, aswell as an increased white blood cell count and granulocyte elastase level (all P < 0.05) in the semen of infertile males;otherroutine semen parameters were not negatively impacted. The antisperm antibody level and sperm acrosin activity were not affectedby CT infection. These findings suggested that CT infection might contribute to inflammation and hypospermia but does not impairsperm viability, motility morphology, and acrosin activity or generate antisperm antibodies in the infertile males of China.

Progress in genotyping of Chlamydia trachomatis

Objective To review the common genotyping techniques of Chlamydia trachomatis in terms of their principles,characteristics,applications and limitations.Data sources Data used in this review were mainly from English literatures of PubMed database.The search terms were ＂Chlamydia trachomatis＂ and ＂genotyping＂.Meanwhile,data from World Health Organization were also cited.Study selection Original articles and reviews relevant to present review＇s theme were selected.Results Different genotyping techniques were applied on different occasions according to their characteristics,especially in epidemiological studies worldwide,which pushed the study of Chlamydia trachomatis forward greatly.In addition,summaries of some epidemiological studies by genotyping were also included in this work for reference and comparison.Conclusions A clear understanding of common genotyping techniques could be helpful to genotype C.trachomatis more appropriately and effectively.Furthermore,more studies on the association of genotypes of Ch/amydia trachomatis with clinical manifestations should be performed.

Lymphogranuloma venereum caused by Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L3:a case report

Lymphogranuloma venereum （LGV） is a systemic sexually transmitted disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis （C. trachomatis） L1, L2 and L3, the organism gains entrance through skin breaks and abrasions and travels via the lymphatics to multiply within mononuclear phagocytes in regional lymph nodes, The clinical presentation of LGV depends on the sex of the patient, mode of sexual contact （e.g. vaginal or anal sex） and the stage of the disease. LGV is diagnosed in men up to 6 times more frequently than in women, but the infected women are more likely developed to late stage. LGV is rare in China, however the incidence was increasing in recent years. In this paper we diagnosed a case of LGV, and confirmed this case was caused by L3 serovar of C. trachomatis by using genotype test.

Etiology of trachoma:a great success in isolating and cultivating chlamydia trachomatis

To review the studies on the etiology of trachoma and to honor Professor Tang Feifan (Prof FF Tang) He is the first scientist who was successful in isolating and cultivating chlamydia trachomatis in 1946 Data sources The principal literatures are cited from Tang's papers published from the 1930s to the 1950s Earlier literatures concerning early hypotheses for trachoma pathogenic agent are also studied Study selection and data extraction Only important and conclusive breakthroughs in Tang's papers are selected and extracted Results and conclusions In the 1930s Tang was intending to repeat Noguchi's experiments in isolating bacterium granulosis from cases of trachoma in China and to employ bacterium granulosis isolated by Noguchi in 1928 for reproducing experimental trachomatous human clinical manifestations in China Both experiments showed negative results In the 1950s, before isolated chlamydia trachomtas, Tang and his colleagues had finished two fundamental studies: (1) the histological nature of trachoma, their relationship to etiological agent as well as to the host cells; and (2) the clinical manifestations and the morphological pictures of trachoma in monkeys Eventually chlamydia trachomatis was isolated successfully and cultivated continuously

Study on vertical transmision of Chlamydia trachomatis using PCR and DNA sequencing

Objective To investigate the vertical transmission rate of Chlamy dia trachomatis (CT) in Chongqing, China. Methods Specimens taken from 278 women and from their 79 infants were e xamined b y cell culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequence analysis. Chlam ydia trachomatis was isolated in McCoy cell culture. CT DNA was extracted with a modified NaI method. After cloning, recombinant plasmids were used for sequence analysis with the dideoxy chain termination method.Results 10.8% (30/278) of the cervical cultures of pregnant women were positive for Chlamydia trachomatis, while the positive rate tested by PCR was 14.0% (39/2 78). The vertical transmission rate of Chlamydia trachomatis was 55. 0% (11/20). The incidences of conjunctivitis and pneumonia in infants with Chlamydia t rachom atis positive mothers were 27.3% and 18.2%, respectively. DNA sequence s of Chlam ydia trachomatis isolated from the cervix of a mother and the nasopharynx of her baby were identical.Conclusion Chlamydia trachomatis infection is quite common in Cho ngqing , China. Our report is the first report of CT vertical transmission proved by DN A sequence analysis.

The relationship between sexually transmitted microorganisms and seminal quality in asymptomatic men

Objective:To detect DNA of different microorganisms,in semen samples from apparently healthy men and correlate their presence with seminal quality.Methods:Semensamples from 81 healthy volunteers were collected,and semen parameters were analyzed.DNA extraction was performed using the phenol-chloroform technique,and the micro-organisms were detected by the amplification of specific primers using polymerase chain reaction.Results:DNA from at least one of the microorganisms was detected in 78 samples.The most frequent microorganism found in semen were:Lactobacillus spp.(70%),Neisseria gonorrhoeae(N.gonorrhoeae)(36%),Streptococcus epidermidis(64%),Klebsiella pneumoniae(56%),Staphylococcus aureus(32%),Chlamydia trachomatis(C.trachomatis)(28%),Pseudomonas aeru-ginosa(27%).The seminal parameters of all semen samples were over the lower reference values fornormal semenanalysis.To compare with negative samples,seminal volume was higher for the Escherichia coli positive samples and lower for Pseudomonas aeruginosa positive samples.Semen samples positive for Staphylococcus aureus had worse sperm morphology.The frequency of progressive motility was higher in positive samples for N.gonorrhoeae and C.trachomatis.Positive semen samples for C.trachomatis had a higher concentration per milliliter.Conclusion:It is common to find microorganisms in semen of asymptomatic men,including those responsible for sexually transmitted infections.Antimicrobial treatment is recommended only in those individuals with a sexually transmitted infection(C.trachomatis and N.gonorrhoeae)and always promote condom use.

Trachoma control:the SAFE strategy

As a contagious bacterial infection that affects the conjunctival covering of the eye, the cornea and the eyelids, trachoma is controlled by an endorsed integrated strategy consisting of surgery for trichiasis, antibiotic therapy, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement, namely, the SAFE strategy developed by World Health Organization. Developed based on evidence from previous field trials and constantly modified in practice, SAFE strategy has greatly boosted the progress in trachoma control. Regardless of the fact that there are still many pending questions, national program coordinators are convinced that trachoma control initiative based on SAFE strategy would be effective.

Inefficiency of C3H/HeN Mice to Control Chlamydial Lung Infection Correlates with Downregulation of Neutrophil Activation during the Late Stage of Infection

We previously reported that massive infiltration of neutrophils in C3H/HeN （C3H） mice could not efficiently control Chlamydia muridarum （Cm） infection and might contribute to the high susceptibility of these mice to lung infection. To further define the nature of neutrophil responses in C3H mice during chlamydial infection, we examine the expression of adhesion molecules and CDllb related to neutrophils infiltration and activation, respectively, following intranasal Cm infection. The results showed that the expression of selectins （E-selectin, P-selectin and L-selectin）, and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1） in the lung of C3H mice increased more significantly than in C57BL/6 （B6） mice, the more resistant strain. These results correlated well with the massive neutrophils infiltration in C3H mice. In contrast, CDllb expression on peripheral blood and lung neutrophils in C3H mice exhibited a significant reduction compared with B6 mice during the late phage of infection （day 14）. These findings suggest that the high-level expression of adhesion molecules in C3H mice may enhance neutrophils recruitment to the lung, but the decline of CDllb expression on neutrophils may attenuate neutrophil function. Therefore, CDllb down-regulation on neutrophils may contribute to the failure of C3H mice to control chlamydial lung infection.

An odyssey through Fitz-Hugh Curtis syndrome

Acute fibrinous perihepatitis due to genital tract infection has attracted sparse and fluctuating interest. The recent increase in the incidence of sexually transmitted disease and the recognition of Chlamydia trachomatis as a causative organism in both pelvic inflammatory disease （PID） and extra pelvic manifestation of PID have brought about the renewed interest in perihepatitis. This is likely to ensure that the clinical features of perihepatitis will now become widely recognised. This paper examines the evolution, clinical features, diagnosis and management of this interesting syndrome and emphasises the need to explore the upper abdomen during laparoscopic gynaecological surgery.