The serosurvey study of IgG antibodies to chlamydia trachomatis among asymptomatic women, Mashhad, Iran

Chlamydia trachomatis is the cause of chlamydial infection of the genital tract and trachoma and is the most common bacterial infection transmitted through sexual contact and the most important and costly non-viral sexually transmitted disease. This infection is a common cause of urethritis in men and cervicitis in women, and many complications such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy have been reported. This study was performed aimed to evaluate the frequency of anti-chlamydia antibodies in asymptomatic women of childbearing age referred to health centers in Mashhad.

This cross-sectional study was performed in 2016 on 93 women referring to the health care centers of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Anti-chlamydia IgG antibodies were tested in these samples by ELISA method. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16) and Fisher Freeman Halton Exact test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

A total of 93 women were evaluated. The mean serum level of antibody was 0.35±0.36 ng/dl and accordingly 6.5% (n=6) had a positive result. Also, the relationship between infection and age (p=0.209) and living area (p=0.239) of ​​these people was examined, but no significant relationship was found.

According to the results of the present study, the frequency of anti-chlamydia antibodies was considerable in women of reproductive age referred to the health centers in Mashhad. Due to this prevalence and high complications of this infection in case of no treatment, it is recommended that the Chlamydia Trachomatis screening program be performed routinely even for asymptomatic individuals.