Screening of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in women Is it necessary?

SUMMARY: Chlamydia trachomatis is one the most prevalent bacteria that found in patients with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), which almost represent asymptomatic in society. Two hundred sixty urine samples of women in two groups (symptomatic and asymptomatic) were collected from patients attending STI clinic at Mehrad hospital in Tehran and tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of C. trachomatis DNA. A total of 39 women in both group were infected (14.99%), which 27/130 person of them were in symptomatic group (20.76%), compared with 12/130 person in asymptomatic group (9.23%). A significant association was seen between C. trachomatis infections with history of STIs in both groups dependently and with urinary variable parameters such as WBC in each group independently, and with epithelial cells just in symptomatic women. The present study shows that screening strategies for chlamydial infections as part of routine investigations, especially in-married sym ptomatic women are INTRODUCTION Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are the second major cause of unpleasant disease in young adult women worldwide (1). Genital infection of Chlamydia trachomatis is one of the most common STIs and considered as the most common treatable and preventable STIs and cause of infertility in women (2). Although infection with C. trachomatis has been suggested to be a cause of infertility due to the sequels on the genital tract, but in many hospitals and clinics do not be routine screening for C. trachomatis infections. Nowadays, detection of C. trachomatis infections has improved with development of nucleic acid based amplification methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in urine samples and most countries estab... ...d that. In order to optimize this strategy, sexual health services should become widely available, and the services should publicize in a comfortable and appealing way in Iran. However, asymptomatic C. trachomatis infected people have a key role in distribution of infection and may remain shadowy and therefore keep on spreading the infection to partners. Interventions of variable content may lead to favored changes in information, manner, awareness, self-efficacy, skills, and behaviors such as using appropriate procedures for contraceptive ways, sexually infection causes, and practice of protected sexual manners. Finally further studies in order to determine the correlations between infecting people and other variables needed in other cities of Iran. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This project was supported by the Tehran University of Medical sciences.