Gonococcal and chlamydial antibodies in Egyptian women with ectopic pregnancy

ABSTRACT

The presence of antibodies to chlamydia trachomatis and to Neisseria gonorrhea were assessed in 30 women, hospitalized in Ain-Shams University Hospital with ectopic pregnancy. Thirty women delivering live full term infants served as controls. The prevalence rate of elevated IgG specific to chlamydia trachomatis [titer >/16] and to Neisseria gonoccoci [titer=64] in subjects with ectopic pregnancy was [30%, 13.3%] respectively. None of the control had positive titer for either organisms. Women who did not have a history of pelvic inflammatory disease [PID] had a higher proportion of chlamydia specific IgG seropositives suggesting that chlamydial PID are mostly asymptomatic. Furthermore, women who did not use intrauterine device [IUD] had a higher proportion of chlamydia-specific IgG seropositive, though not statistically significant, as compared to IUD users suggesting that the inflammatory response following IUD insertion may help in elimination of chlamydial infection in upper genital tract. None of the study or control subjects was positive for HIV antibodies