Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection, Serovar Distribution and Co-Infections with Seven High-Risk HPV Types among Italian Women with a Recent History of Abnormal Cervical Cytology

Marianna Martinelli, Rosario Musumeci, Alberto Rizzo, Narcisa Muresu, Andrea Piana, Giovanni Sotgiu, Fabio Landoni and Clementina Cocuzza
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Marianna Martinelli: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
Rosario Musumeci: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
Alberto Rizzo: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
Narcisa Muresu: Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Andrea Piana: Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Giovanni Sotgiu: Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Fabio Landoni: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
Clementina Cocuzza: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-10

Abstract: Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) and human papillomavirus (HPV) are the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections throughout the world. Despite the serious complications associated with chronic Ct infections in sexually active women, a screening program is not yet available in Italy. Moreover, HPV/Ct co-infections are also known to occur frequently, increasing the risk of HPV-induced carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Ct infections, the distribution of Ct serovars, and the incidences of Ct/HPV co-infections among women with a recent history of abnormal cervical cytology. Cervical samples were collected from 199 women referred for a gynecological visit following an abnormal Pap test results. All samples were tested for the presence of Ct and HPV DNA using real-time PCR assays; Ct typing of positive samples was performed by PCR–RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) targeting the ompA gene. A high percentage of these women (12.8% and 21.7% with or without abnormal cytology on “retesting”, respectively) were found to be Ct positive. Serovar F was the most prevalent type in Ct positive women, followed by E and K. Ct/HPV co-infections were detected in 7% (14/199) of enrolled women, with HPV-16, HPV-51, and HPV-52 being most frequently identified in co-infections. This study provides new epidemiological data on the prevalence of Ct and associated HPV infection in women with a recent history of abnormal cervical cytology in Italy, where notification of cases is not mandatory.

Keywords: Chlamydia trachomatis; Chlamydia trachomatis serovars; human papillomavirus; Chlamydia trachomatis; HPV co-infection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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