Prevalence and Laboratory Diagnosis of Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection in Infertile Women by Elisa and PCR – A One Year Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Chlamydia trachomatis has currently emerged as the most common sexually transmitted pathogen. It is usually asymptomatic but is known to cause salphingitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and ectopic pregnancy in females. It is very difficult to diagnose this condition as it does not grow in cell free media. Hence cell culture, ELISA and PCR form the main stay of diagnosing this condition. The present study is done to find out the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in infertile women by PCR and ELISA and to compare the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA and PCR. Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum from Jan 2009 - Dec 2009. Blood samples and endocervical swabs were collected from 115 infertile women of reproductive age attending the assisted reproductive centre of KLE’s DR. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre. ELISA was done to detect anti Chlamydia IgG antibody in serum samples and PCR was done to detect Chlamydial DNA in endocervical swabs. Results:The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in infertile women in this study was 2.6% by PCR and 0.9% by ELISA. The sensitivity of ELISA was 33.3% and specificity was 100%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 33.3% and 98.2% respectively. Maximum number of Chlamydia positive cases were in the age group of 35-44 years and maximum number of Chlamydia positive cases had a duration of infertility between 1-5 years. V Interpretation and Conclusion: Chlamydia trachomatis infection is known to cause infertility and this needs to be diagnosed at the earliest, for the specific treatment and prevention of complications. ELISA and PCR can be used for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infection