Prevalence of C.Trachomatis Infection among Ahvaz Females with Vaginal Discharge

Background: C. trachomatis is one of the most important agents of sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Untreated cases of vaginal infection with this bacterium may end up with infertility, scaring and ectopic pregnancy. In most cases infection with C. trachomatis is silent (70-80%) but when overt infection occurs the symptoms include: cervicitis, urethritis, and endometritis. Since prevalence of C. trachomatis was not studied in our city, this project was performed to evaluate the role of this bacterial agent in vaginosis. Material and Methods: Two hundred and two specimens from vaginal discharge of out-patients referring to gynecology ward of Ahvaz hospitals were collected and tested for C. trachomatis by PCR. Results: Out of 202 specimens, 33 (16.3%) were positive for C. trachomatis. Conclusion: The findings of this study show a high prevalence of C. trachomatis which indicates that special attention must be paid to detection and management of this infection.