Bagheri S, Roghanian R, Golbang N, Golbang P, Nasr Esfahani MH. Molecular Evidence of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection and Its Relation to Miscarriage.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FERTILITY & STERILITY 2018;
12:152-156. [PMID:
29707933 PMCID:
PMC5936614 DOI:
10.22074/ijfs.2018.5184]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Background
Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world
that can persist and also ascend in the genital tract. This intracellular and silent infection is related to some adverse
pregnancy outcomes, such as miscarriage. The aims of this study were to explore the best CT screening tests using
blood and vaginal samples and to investigate the correlation between CT infection and the incidence of miscarriage.
Materials and Methods
This case-control study was done in October 2013 through June 2014, using purposive
sampling from 157 female participants with or without a history of miscarriage. The samples were taken after each
participant had signed a letter of consent and had completed a questionnaire. To achieve the objectives of this study,
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests were performed on vaginal
swabs and blood samples, respectively.
Results
PCR results showed a significantly higher CT infection rate in the miscarriage group compared to the control
group (11.3 vs. 0%, P=0.007). Anti-CT IgG and IgA antibodies were found in 4.2 and 2.1% of cases in the miscarriage
group, and in 1.7 and 6.7% of cases in the control group, respectively (P>0.05). Despite lower humoral responses in
this study, positive samples were detected only by one of the following techniques; PCR, ELISA IgA and ELISA IgG.
It also should be noted that PCR worked best in terms of detection.
Conclusion
Based on the obtained data, there is a strong association between molecular evidence of CT infection
and miscarriage. A higher rate of CT detection in molecular tests compared to serological assays suggests that PCR
could be used as the first-choice assay for detection of C. trachomatis. However, the importance of serological tests in
detecting potential past CT infection or upper genital infection not amenable to sampling is undeniable.
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