ABSTRACT
Objective. To determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT); Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and syphilis in pregnant women. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among women attending antenatal care clinics (ANCs). Blood samples were tested for syphilis using the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and treponemal haemaggluti- nation (TPHA) tests; CT and NG were diagnosed using a manual polymerase chain reaction assay on first-void urine samples. A socio-demographic questionnaire was completed. Results were compared with previous published data on sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence in Mozambique. Results. Blood and urine samples were collected from 1 119 and 835 women; respectively. The prevalence of CT was 4.1; and that of NG 2.5. The RPR test was positive in 5.2of the women; and 7.1had a positive TPHA test. Active syphiliswas found in 4.7. In univariate analysis; CT was associated with having had any level of education (p0.05); reactive RPR and TPHA were associated with illiteracy (p0.05); and TPHA was associated with age 25. Multivariate analysis did not show any significant association. In comparisonwith published data from 1993; a decline was observed for CT (p0.05); NG and syphilis (p0.001). Conclusions. Compared with available data; a decline of STI prevalence was observed in our setting. This might be the result of community-based education programmes focusing on changes to sexual behaviour; as well as the widespread use of the syndromic approach to managing STIs and the expansion of syphilis screening in primary health care settings. However; STI rates are still high; and the problem needs more concrete and sustained efforts for its control
Subject(s)
Chlamydia trachomatis , Cross-Sectional Studies , Neisseria gonorrhoeae , Pregnant Women , Risk Factors , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/epidemiology , SyphilisABSTRACT
From April to July 1993; Maputo City suffered an epidemic of dysentery. We analysed stool samples from 142 consecutive children hospitalized with acute bloody diarrhoea in the pediatric infectious diseases ward of Maputo Central Hospital. The samples were analysed for known pathogenic microbial organisms. 74 (52.1) were male and 68 (47.9) female; the mean age was 2.62 years. Shigella dysenteriae type-1 was isolated in 59 (41.5) cases. The probability of isolation of shigella dysenteriae was greater when the evolution time of the illness was equal to or less than five days and the number of daily stools was six or greater at the time of sample collection. For the diagnosis of shigellosis; the presence of macroscopic blood in liquid stools showed a sensitivity of 86.2; a specificity of 82.9; a positive predictive value of 78.1; and a negative predictive value of 89.5. All Shigella spisollated were sensitive to nalidixic acid; cephalothin; kanamycin and gentamicin and resistant to tetracycline; trimethoprim; chloramphenicol; ampicillin; sulfurisoxazole; cotrimoxazole and erythromycin. There was a statistical association (p0.05) between malaria due to plasmodium falciparum and the presence of macroscopic blood in the stools
Subject(s)
Dysentery , Infant , Shigella dysenteriaeABSTRACT
Foi efectuado um estudo retrospectivo das amostras recebidas no Laboratorio de Microbiologia da Faculdade de Medicina no periodo compreendido entre Junho de 1991 e Junho de 1992; para confirmacao laboratorial do diagnostico clinico de colera. De um total de 2823 amostras analisadas; provenientes de igual numero de casos; 1399(49;5) proveniente da cidade de Maputoe 1424(50;4) da Provincia de Maputo. Corresponderam a individuos do sexo maculino; 1494(52.9) e ao sexo feminino; 1329 (47.1) resultaram positivas; 952(33.7) amostras das quais; 856(89.9) corresponderam ao serotipo Inaba e 96(10.1) ao Ogawa. Todas as estirpes isoladas foram biotipo El Tor e sensiveis in vitro a Tetraciclina; Doxiciclina; Sulfadiazina e Cloranfenicol. Em ambos os locais de estudo; as amostras positivas foram mais frequentes na estacao quente que na fria (pO.0001); e nos individuos do sexo masculino no grupo eterio de mais de 16 anos (p