[Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence in women from the Hospital General de Zona No. 29].

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis is the main cause of sexually transmitted bacterial infections worldwide. An estimated of 131 million cases occur each year. It is asymptomatic, but ascending infection in women can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of C. trachomatis in open population women who attend the Hospital General de Zona No. 29.
Material and Methods: Identification of C. trachomatis was carried out by PCR testing of 200 vaginal exudate samples and its genotype was determined. In parallel, a routine microbiological diagnosis was carried out.
Results: The prevalence of C. trachomatis was 8.5% (17/200) with a significant concomitance of p = 0.006 with Gardnerella vaginalis (relative risk of 2.871, 95%CI: 1.574-5.236). Likewise, C. trachomatis was identified in 5 samples as the only etiological agent. Sixteen strains of C. trachomatis belong to genotype F. An identified strain of C. trachomatis presented genetic motifs similar to the Mexican variant reported in 2019.
Conclusions: The prevalence of C. trachomatis in the studied population indicates the need to implement diagnostic techniques for this bacterium. The use of PCR allows a rapid genotypic determination that would explain the epidemiological behavior of C. trachomatis and would represent a significant improvement in the quality of life of the patient.
(© 2021 Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social.)