Chlamydia trachomatis infection prevalence and serovar distribution in a high-density urban area in the North of Italy.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection prevalence and serovar distribution in a high-density urban area in the North of Italy. J Med Microbiol. 2016 Apr 5; Authors: Foschi C, Nardini P, Banzola N, D'Antuono A, Compri M, Cevenini R, Marangoni A Abstract The aim of this study was to assess Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection prevalence and serovar distribution in a high density urban area in the North of Italy, by comparing different groups of subjects divided on the basis of care providers they referred to (STI Clinic, gynecologists or general practitioners). From January 2011 to May 2014, all the specimens submitted to the Microbiology of St. Orsola Hospital in Bologna for CT detection, were tested by a PCR assay. In case of positivity, molecular genotyping based on RFLP analysis was performed. Total prevalence of CT infection was 8.1% with significant differences between sub-groups (P<0.01), but stable during the study period. STI Clinic was mainly responsible for CT diagnosis, whereas the lowest infection prevalence was detected in gynecological clinics, despite a high number of tests performed. Extra-genital samples were almost exclusively collected from males at the STI Clinic. Interestingly, 13.3% of patients providing extra-genital specimens was positive for CT on rectal and/or pharyngeal swabs and 4.4% of cases would have been missed if extra-genital sites had not been tested. The most common serovar was E and serovar distributio...
Source: Journal of Medical Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: J Med Microbiol Source Type: research