Diagnosis of circulatory antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis among asymptomatic undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy patients in India

Abstract

Background C. trachomatis infection has been reported in patients with undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy (uSpA). However, it is underdiagnosed globally, including India. Aim The aim of the study was to determine circulatory anti- Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies in uSpA patients. Materials and methods Twenty two uSpA patients were included in the study following the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria and 12 age- and sex- matched osteoarthritis patients were also included for comparison. From each patient, 5 ml of non-heparinized intravenous blood was collected for analysis. Anti- C. trachomatis IgG and IgA antibodies were detected in serum using commercially available ELISA kits and the data was statistically evaluated. Results During the study, 18.1% (4/ 22) uSpA patients were found positive for anti- C. trachomatis IgA antibodies, while 4.5% (1/ 22) patients were positive for anti- C.trachomatis IgG antibodies in serum. None of the control patients was positive for these antibodies. Conclusion C. trachomatis may be an unrecognized cause for uSpA even among Indian patients. Further studies involving larger study population are significant to substantiate the findings.