Original article
Associated factors with and genotypes of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among clients seeking voluntary counseling and testing for HIV infection in Taiwan

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmii.2013.10.007Get rights and content
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Background/Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection and the genotype distribution of the strains among the clients seeking voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Taiwan.

Methods

The VCT clients completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire interview to inquire into the risks for sexually transmitted diseases, followed by providing a 10-mL first-catch urine specimen to detect C. trachomatis with the use of polymerase-chain-reaction assays. The genotyping of C. trachomatis strains was performed by sequencing of omp1 gene. A case–control study was performed to identify factors associated with chlamydial infection.

Results

From 2008 to 2011, 140 (4.2%) of the 3323 VCT clients tested positive for C. trachomatis by polymerase chain reaction assays of urine specimens. Compared with 280 control individuals without C. trachomatis infection, cases were more likely to be female (adjusted odds ratio, 3.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.56–6.90) and to report dysuria or urethral discharge (adjusted odds ratio, 2.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.44–4.61). Infections with genotypes Da and G were significantly more common in male than female individuals (genotype Da, 22.2% vs. 0%; and genotype G, 24.4% vs. 3.3%) and in men who have sex with men than heterosexuals (genotype Da, 22.2% vs. 0%; and genotype G, 24.4% vs. 3.3%).

Conclusion

Among the VCT clients in Taiwan, female sex and presence of urethral symptoms were associated with C. trachomatis infection of the genitourinary tract. Homosexual male clients were more likely to be infected with genotypes Da and G than heterosexual clients were.

Keywords

Gonorrhea
Molecular epidemiology
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Nongonococcal urethritis
Sexually transmitted disease

Cited by (0)

Preliminary analyses of these data were presented as a poster L2-309 at the 52nd Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy held in San Francisco, USA, September 9–12, 2012.