Fax +41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail karger@karger.ch www.karger.com Original Article Gynecol Obstet Invest 2011;72:220–226 DOI: 10.1159/000324798 High Prevalence Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis by Polymerase Chain Reaction in Endocervical Samples of Infertile Women Attending University Hospital in Manaus-Amazonas, Brazil Norma Suely de Lima Freitas   a Cristina Maria Borborema-Santos   a Dária Barroso Serrão das Neves   a, b Cintia Mara Costa de Oliveira   a Júnia Raquel Dutra Ferreira   a Spartaco Astolfi-Filho   a a  Federal University of Amazonas – UFAM, Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Biotechnology Division, and b  Dona Francisca Mendes University Hospital, Manaus/AM, Brazil sociation of 5% (p ! 0.05) of chlamydial infection with family income. Conclusions: Due to the high prevalence of C. tra- chomatis, concerns about effects on reproductive health and fertility are undertaken. Therefore, we believe it is ex- tremely necessary to implement large-scale PCR-based screening as part of routine clinical detection programs con- cerning preventive effects of chlamydial infection among this population. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel Introduction Chlamydia trachomatis infection is an important pub- lic health problem due to its unfavorable effects on hu- man reproduction [1]. The major impact and concern of this infection is on the female genital tract [1, 2]. Most infections caused by C. trachomatis are asymptomatic, so an untreated infection may lead to a chronic C. trachoma- tis infection, which causes sequelae such as pelvic inflam- matory disease, endometritis, tubal factor infertility and ectopic pregnancy (EP) [2–4]. Key Words Chlamydia trachomatis  Infertile women  Polymerase chain reaction  Brazil Abstract Background: We established for the first time the preva- lence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among infertile women in Manaus Amazonas Brazil using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Methods: 106 women were studied at a public university hospital fertility clinic for infer- tility problems correlated with chlamydia infection. Social- economic and clinical information was obtained before medical examination to obtain samples for the amplification of C. trachomatis DNA plasmid. Results: The prevalence of chlamydial infection among infertile women was 52.8, and 51.8% of the positive participants were older than 30 years of age (p = 0.8697). Of the 56 women positive for C. tracho- matis, 31 (55.4%) had never given birth, while 9 (16%) had a pregnancy resulting in fetal death. Our findings also re- vealed that these patients had a low socio-economic status and high unemployment (p = 0.0274), and a significant as- Received: December 31, 2009 Accepted after revision: February 2, 2011 Published online: November 17, 2011 Dr. Cristina Maria Borborema dos Santos Laboratório de Diagnóstico Molecular, Centro de Apoio Multidisciplinar Biotechnology Division, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Avenida General Rodrigo Jordão Ramos, 3000, Bloco G, Campus Universitário, Bairro Coroado I Manaus, AM 69077-000 (Brazil), Tel. +55 92 3647 4018, E-Mail crisantos  @  ufam.edu.br © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel 0378–7346/11/0724–0220$38.00/0 Accessible online at: www.karger.com/goi