Prevalence of genital Chlamydia infection in females attending an Obstetrics and Gynecology out patient department in Orissa.

摘要

Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common sexually transmittedasymptomaticinfection.whenleftuntreated, leads to complications, like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy, and infertility in women. To prevent such sequelae the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) recommends screening for Chlamydiae in women under the age of 24 years, once in a year, for early diagnosis and treatment. However, in India, such a practice has not been adopted, probably due to lack of information on the magnitude of this problem. Available reports reveal a wide variation (0.2 to 40%) on its prevalence. There is no report on this infection from the state of Orissa. These cases remain undiagnosed because of lack of laboratory facility and skills. Hence a pilot study has been undertaken, to generate evidence on this infection in this region, using highly sensitive and specific molecular tests, that is, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by southern hybridization. The study has been reviewed and approved by the Human Ethical Committee of the Center.