Abstract
BackgroundChlamydia, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis(C. trachomatis), is the most common sexually transmitted disease. The incidence is not clear due to the asymptomatic nature of early stage of infections. The incidence of Chlamydia has not been fully investigated in the Chinese Han population. Since chronic infection with can C. trachomatis can lead to infertility in males and females, it is important to determine the impact of infection on clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to explore the epidemiology of C. trachomatis in subfertile couples and to determine whether infections will adversely affect clinical outcomes after assisted reproduction technique (ART) treatment.MethodsSubfertile patients (n = 30760) were screened in the research for C. trachomatis in our center from January 2010 to December 2014. C. trachomatis-specific DNA was detected by Taq-man PCR from semen or swabs from the urethral, endocervix or vaginal. The control group consisted of 1140 subfertile patients without C. trachomatis infection. The prevalence and characteristics of C. trachomatis were identified for subfertile couples and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed. A retrospective study was performed.ResultsNine hundred and seventy patients were diagnosed with C. trachomatis infection, and the overall prevalence was 3.15% in the most recent five years, with a yearly increasing. The incidence was a higher in the second half of the year (3.40%) compared to the first half (2.69%). The age group with the highest-risk of infection with C. trachomatis was between 26 to 35 years old, and in about one third of the couples, both partners were infected. The basic parameters and clinical outcomes were not statistically significant between different the groups (P > 0.05), even though some minor data were different (P < 0.05).ConclusionsC. trachomatis is a common infection in subfertile people and it is essential to test for this organism in ART couples’ screening. This study identified no adverse on clinical outcomes after successful treatment of C. trachomatis infection, regardless of gender, age and number of C. trachomatis copies.
Highlights
Chlamydia, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis(C. trachomatis), is the most common sexually transmitted disease
Plain English summary One of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease is Chlamydia, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), the exact incidence of Chlamydia is unknown because the infection is often asymptomatic in the early stage
The incidence of Chlamydia it has not been fully investigated in the Chinese Han population
Summary
Chlamydia, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis(C. trachomatis), is the most common sexually transmitted disease. Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), an intracellular bacterium, is the cause of the most frequently sexually transmitted disease (STD), resulting in about 100 million new cases annually worldwide [1]. Previous studies have reported that the prevalence of C. trachomatis ranged from 1.7% to 17% among European women [2] and from 1%-40% among asymptomatic men with a longstanding history of couple infertility [3], depending on the method of diagnosis, social background, area of residence, occupation, gender, and among others. 50% males and 80% females with Chlamydia show no symptoms in the early stage of infection, many of these individuals remain undiagnosed and are often poorly or inadequately treated [4]. This method has a high sensitivity (99%) and specificity (100%), and has been accepted as the gold standard for the identification of C. trachomatis infections. [6, 7]
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