Factors associated with genital chlamydial and gonococcal infection in females.

BACKGROUND--Predictors of chlamydia and gonorrhoea can be used to increase the cost-effectiveness and acceptability of screening programmes, and allow targeting of control strategies. METHODS--All women attending an STD clinic in 1988-1990 were offered screening for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and the test results correlated with a wide range of potential predictors using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS--Of 4822 attenders, 3533 (73.3%) were tested for chlamydia over a total of 5430 episodes, yielding 348 (6.4%) positives, and 3510 (72.8%) were tested for gonorrhoea over a total of 5450 episodes, yielding 100 (1.0%) positives. Independent predictors of chlamydial infection were being an STD contact, having endocervical gonorrhoea, being under 25, not having genital herpes, being Aboriginal, using oral contraception, not having a steady partner and having vaginal discharge or dysuria. For gonorrhoea such predictors were being Aboriginal, an STD contact, under 25, tattooed, having vaginal discharge or dysuria, and having had sex outside the state in the past three months. Selective screening criteria for gonorrhoea provided 91% of positives, eliminated the need for 42% of tests and resulted in an increased yield ratio of 1.5 whereas the corresponding outcomes for screening criteria for chlamydia were 91%, 29% and 1.3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS--The diversity of STD epidemiology requires development of empirical screening guidelines for diverse settings. Standardisation of methodology to facilitate comparisons and extrapolation should include investigation of a wide range of variables, available before patient examination, by multivariate analysis, and choice of selective criteria to cover at least 90% of the infected population as well as resulting in a substantially increased yield (preferably an increased yield ratio of at least 1.5).     

Factors associated with genital chlamydial and gonococcal infection in males.

BACKGROUND--Predictors of chlamydia and gonorrhoea can be used to increase the cost-effectiveness and acceptability of screening programmes, and allow targeting of control strategies. METHOD--All men attending an STD clinic in 1988-1990 were offered screening for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and the test results correlated with a wide range of potential predictors using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS--Of 9622 attenders, 7992 (82.3%) were tested over a total of 10,110 episodes for chlamydia and 10,090 episodes for gonorrhoea, yielding 729 (7.2%) chlamydial and 123 (1.2%) gonococcal infections. Having urethral discharge and/or dysuria, being heterosexual, and STD contact, unmarried, uncircumcised, tattooed and not having had an STD previously were independently associated with chlamydial infection. Having urethral discharge and/or dysuria, being Aboriginal, an STD contact, homosexual, uncircumcised, tattooed and having sex outside the state in the past three months, no steady partner in the past three months and multiple partners in the past month were associated with urethral gonococcal infection. Selective screening criteria for gonorrhoea provided 90% of positives, eliminated the need for 58% of tests and resulted in an increased yield ratio of 2.2 whereas the corresponding outcomes for screening criteria for chlamydia were 93% 20% and 1.2 respectively. CONCLUSIONS--The widespread influence of confounding on potential predictors for both gonorrhoea and chlamydia may provide misleading indicators of risk factors by univariate analysis. In the setting studied the benefits of selective screening for gonorrhoea in men would be substantial, whereas satisfactory criteria for selective screening for chlamydia could not be identified.     

Male circumcision and women's risk of incident chlamydial, gonococcal, and trichomonal infections

BACKGROUND: Male circumcision (MC) decreases the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition in men. We explored associations between MC of the primary sex partner and women's risk of acquisition of chlamydial (Ct), gonococcal (GC), or trichomonal (Tv) infections. METHODS: We analyzed data from a prospective study on hormonal contraception and incident human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (STI) among women from Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Thailand. At enrollment and each follow-up visit, we collected endocervical swabs for polymerase chain reaction identification of Ct and GC; Tv was diagnosed by wet mount. Using Cox proportional hazards models, we compared time to STI acquisition for women according to their partner's MC status. RESULTS: Among 5925 women (2180 from Uganda, 2228 from Zimbabwe, and 1517 from Thailand), 18.6% reported a circumcised primary partner at baseline, 70.8% reported an uncircumcised partner, and 9.7% did not know their partner's circumcision status. During follow-up, 408, 305, and 362 participants had a first incident Ct, GC, or Tv infection, respectively. In multivariate analysis, after controlling for contraceptive method, age, age at coital debut, and country, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) comparing women with circumcised partners with those with uncircumcised partners for Ct was 1.25 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-1.63]; for GC, adjusted HR 0.99 (95% CI 0.74-1.31); for Tv, adjusted HR 1.05 (95% CI 0.80-1.36), and for the 3 STIs combined, adjusted HR 1.02 (95% CI 0.85-1.21). CONCLUSIONS: MC was not associated with women's risk of acquisition of Ct, GC, or Tv infection in this cohort.     

Increased risk of chlamydial and gonococcal infection in adolescent sex workers in Madagascar

GOAL: To examine and compare young sex workers' risk of acquisition of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with the risk among their older counterparts. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of young age--16-19 years vs. 20 years and older--on risk of incident infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial of 1,000 sex workers in Madagascar was conducted. STI testing was conducted at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months. RESULTS: About 13% of the cohort (n = 134) was composed of young women aged 16-19 years. STI incidence rates in this group over the 18-month study period were high: 51.9/100 woman-years (WY) for GC and 47.4/100 WY for CT compared to 27.4/100 WY and 19.1/100 WY for sex workers over age 20, respectively. In multivariable models, young sex workers were at significantly higher STI risk compared with their older peers: The adjusted risk ratio (aRR) for GC comparing younger to older women was 1.50 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20, 1.88); for CT, the aRR was 1.72 (95% CI: 1.35, 2.19) and for GC or CT combined, the aRR was 1.42 (95% CI: 1.22, 1.66). CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory analysis suggests that additional research is warranted to identify effective and acceptable prevention strategies that benefit young women, and interventions already proven effective among adolescents should be given high priority for scale-up.     

Prevalence, incidence, and risk of acquiring urogenital gonococcal or chlamydial infection in prostitutes working in brothels.

At two week intervals specimens were taken from 24 prostitutes working in two brothels and cultured for urogenital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Demographic and clinical data were also collected. C trachomatis was found initially in four and N gonorrhoeae in two of the 20 women at risk of infection. During the study period three new chlamydial and gonococcal infections were diagnosed, resulting from 949 unprotected contacts. Eight women (33%) had developed salpingitis, in contrast to 15% in the general female population. An attempt was made to estimate the infectivity of C trachomatis for the prostitutes. The epidemiological importance of the chlamydial and gonococcal reservoir in the prostitutes was also considered.     

Triple tetracycline (Deteclo) in the treatment of chlamydial infection of the female genital tract

The efficacy of treating genital Chlamydia in women using Deteclo 300 mg twice daily for seven and 21 days has been studied. Forty-four patients were treated for seven days and 20 for 21 days. Seven days of treatment was as effective in eliminating Chlamydia trachomatis from the female genital tract as 21 days. The reproducibility of the technique of isolation of C. trachomatis was assessed by delaying treatment in 10 patients for up to 156 days and finding C. trachomatis still present.     

Triple tetracycline (Deteclo) in the treatment of chlamydial infection of the female genital tract.

The efficacy of treating genital Chlamydia in women using Deteclo 300 mg twice daily for seven and 21 days has been studied. Forty-four patients were treated for seven days and 20 for 21 days. Seven days of treatment was as effective in eliminating Chlamydia trachomatis from the female genital tract as 21 days. The reproducibility of the technique of isolation of C. trachomatis was assessed by delaying treatment in 10 patients for up to 156 days and find C. trachomatis still present.     

Syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital chlamydial infection in a Somali village.

A total of 767 sera were collected from 187 men, 200 women and 380 children in a Somali village, Jambaluul. All sera were tested for syphilis serological markers by Venereal Diseases Research Laboratory (VDRL) and Treponema pallidum Haemagglutination Assay (TPHA). Sera positive for both or either of these tests were further analysed for the presence of specific IgM antibodies by Solid Phase Haemadsorption Assay (SPHA). A high and almost equal prevalence of TPHA positivity was found in men and women; 24% and 22.5%, respectively, and IgM antibodies were found in 3% and 4%, respectively. TPHA positivity significantly increased with age. Thus more than half of the villagers at the age of 45 years or more were TPHA positive. One percent of the children were TPHA positive. From all adults aged 15 years and above urogenital specimens were also taken for Chlamydia trachomatis antigen detection with an enzyme-amplified immunoassay (IDEIA) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae culture. Chlamydial genital infection was found in 6% of the men and 18% of the women. All gonococcal cultures were negative.     

Infertility as a consequence of chlamydial infection of the upper genital tract in female mice

The effect of infection with Chalmydia trachomatis (mouse pneumonitis biovar) on the fertility of female mice was examined. Mice were inoculated into one ovarian bursa with approximately 10(4) inclusion-forming units of C. trachomatis and were mated five to 16 days later. At sacrifice all mice showed salpingitis or hydrosalpinx in the inoculated oviduct and implantations were found only in the uterine horn contiguous with the noninoculated oviduct. Animals inoculated with tissue culture supernate showed no tubal pathology and had implantations evenly distributed in both uterine horns. Intrauterine inoculation of Chlamydia five to 36 days before mating also resulted in tubal pathology and infertility. Intrauterine inoculation of C. trachomatis one to two days after mating (one to two days before expected nidation) had no effect on the number or distribution of implantation sites as compared with controls. These results demonstrate that chlamydial infection of the upper reproductive tract of mice prior to mating can result in infertility.     

Detection of chlamydial and gonococcal urethral infection during jail intake: development of a screening algorithm

OBJECTIVES: To determine risk factors for chlamydial or gonococcal urethral infection among adult male detainees at Cook County Jail. To develop a screening algorithm with high sensitivity and specificity for detection of urethral infection. STUDY DESIGN: We interviewed adult male detainees and tested them for chlamydial or gonococcal urethral infection during jail intake from June 24 through July 29, 2004. We supplemented the cross-sectional survey with a nested case-control study. RESULTS: We screened 5,634 (93%) of 6,028 detainees; 348 (6.2%) had chlamydial or gonococcal urethral infection. Interviews were completed and collected for 35%. By multivariable analysis, infected detainees were more likely to be <31 years of age, have more than 6 sex partners in the previous 12 months, or have symptoms. Age less than 31 years or symptoms would have identified 73% of infected detainees while screening only 50%. CONCLUSIONS: A simple algorithm that included age and symptoms best identified detainees at increased risk for chlamydial or gonococcal urethral infection.     

Seroepidemiological and socioeconomic studies of genital chlamydial infection in Ethiopian women.

OBJECTIVE--To measure the prevalence of chlamydial genital infection in Ethiopian women attending gynaecological, obstetric and family planning clinics; to identify the epidemiological, social and economic factors affecting the prevalence of infection in a country where routine laboratory culture and serological tests for chlamydial species are unavailable; to determine the risk factors for genital chlamydial infection in those with serological evidence of other sexually transmitted diseases. SUBJECTS--1846 Ethiopian women, outpatient attenders at two teaching hospitals and a mother and child health centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. SETTING--Gynaecological outpatient department, antenatal, postnatal and family planning clinics. METHODS--Sera were tested for type-specific anti-chlamydial antibodies using purified chlamydial antigens (C. trachomatis A-C (CTA-C), C. trachomatis D-K (CTD-K), Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV1-3), and C. pneumoniae (CPn)), in a micro-immunofluorescence test. The genital chlamydia seropositivity was analysed against patient's age, clinic attended, ethnic group, religion, origin of residence, age at first marriage and first coitus, income, number of sexual partners, duration of sexual activity, marital status/profession, obstetric and contraceptive history, and seropositivity for other sexually transmitted diseases. RESULTS--Overall exposure to chlamydia species was found in 84%, genital chlamydial infection in 62%, and titres suggestive of recent or present genital infection in 42% of those studied. Genital chlamydial infection was highest (64%) in family planning and lowest (54%) in antenatal clinic attenders. Exposure to genital chlamydia species was influenced by ethnic group and religion. Those married and sexually active under 13 years of age had greater exposure (69%) to genital chlamydial infection than those first sexually active aged over 18 (46%). Prevalence of infection was highest in those with more than five sexual partners (78%) and in bargirls (84%). The lowest income groups had a higher prevalence (65%) of genital chlamydial infection than the wealthiest (48%). Multivariate analysis showed the most important factors to be age at first coitus, religion, prostitution and present age of the woman in that order. Risk for genital chlamydial infection was increased in those with seropositivity for syphilis, gonorrhoea, HSV-2 but not HBV infection. CONCLUSION/APPLICATION--Chlamydial genital infections are highly prevalent in both symptomatic and asymptomatic Ethiopian women. The high prevalence of infection reported reflects a complexity of socioeconomic factors: very early age at first marriage and first coitus, instability of first marriage, subsequent divorce and remarriage or drift into prostitution, all of which are influenced by ethnic group, religion and poverty--together with transmission from an infected group of prostitutes by promiscuous males to their wives, lack of diagnostic facilities and inadequate treatment of both symptomatic and asymptomatic men and women. The problem of chlamydial disease in Ethiopia needs to be addressed urgently in the context of control of STD.     

男性性工作者尿液筛查沙眼衣原体和淋球菌及危险因素分析

目的:了解男性性工作者沙眼衣原体和淋球菌感染情况,为预防干预提供依据。方法:对男性性工作者采取知情同意进行问卷调查,取尿液进行生殖道沙眼衣原体及淋球菌检测。结果:95例男性性工作者,生殖道沙眼衣原体、淋球菌感染阳性率分别是12.6%、8.4%;两者混合感染2.1%。同性服务时间≤12个月、曾服兴奋剂、性交选择浴池和有固定异性性伴是其危险因素。结论:根据本研究结果有必要对男性性工作者的沙眼衣原体和淋球菌感染进行监测。     

Comparison of an enzyme immuno assay (Antigenz Chlamydia) with cell culture for the detection of genital chlamydial infection in high and low risk populations.

OBJECTIVE--To evaluate a new enzyme immuno assay, Antigenz Chlamydia, for the detection of chlamydial antigen in urogenital samples using cell culture as the gold standard for comparison and direct immuno fluorescence to aid resolving the discrepancies. SUBJECTS--212 men and 303 women attending an STD clinic and 404 women of child bearing age attending gynaecological clinics. RESULTS--Sensitivity, specificity, predictive value of positive result and predictive value of negative result of the new test were 77.6%, 99.0%, 94.3%, and 95.7% respectively in the high risk population with a prevalence of 16.5%. In the low risk population the figures were 84.2%, 94.5%, 43.2% and 99.2% respectively with a prevalence of 4.7%. CONCLUSION--Antigenz Chlamydia is an easy and quick test to perform. The test is suitable for use in high risk and low risk populations provided all positive samples are confirmed.     

Bacterial vaginosis, ethnicity, and the use of genital cleaning agents: a case control study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bacterial vaginosis and vaginal douching are both reported to be more common in African-American and Caribbean than white women. It is also thought that douching alters the vaginal milieu. This study was conducted to examine associations between genital cleaning practices, bacterial vaginosis, and ethnic group. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study of 100 women with bacterial vaginosis, diagnosed by Nugent's criteria, and 100 women without bacterial vaginosis attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in an ethnically heterogeneous inner-city area in London, England. RESULTS: Bacterial vaginosis was more common among black Caribbean than white women (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1-4.1). Vulval use of bubble bath or antiseptic solutions and douching with proprietary or homemade solutions were significantly more common in women with bacterial vaginosis than without. After controlling for use of vulval and vaginal antiseptics and bubble bath, douching, and a history of bacterial vaginosis, there was no ethnic difference in the occurrence of the condition (adjusted OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.5-2.5). CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic differences in genital hygiene behaviors can explain a twofold increase in the risk of bacterial vaginosis in black Caribbean compared with white women. The role of vulval and vaginal cleaning practices in the development of bacterial vaginosis should be examined further in longitudinal or randomized controlled studies.