Genital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is a major public health issue worldwide. It can lead to cervicitis, urethritis, and infertility. This study was conducted to determine the characteristics of genital C. trachomatis infection among women attending to the infertility and gynecology clinics. Endocervical swabs were collected from 8,221 women for C. trachomatis nucleotide screening and genotyping, while serum samples were collected for C. trachomatis pgp3 antibody determination using luciferase immunosorbent assays. High C. trachomatis DNA prevalence (3.76%) and seroprevalence (47.46%) rates were found, with genotype E (27.5%) being the most prevalent. C. trachomatis omp1 sense mutation was associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) (odds ratio [OR] = 6.033, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.219–39.185, p = 0.045). No significant differences in C. trachomatis seroprevalence rates were observed between women with detectable C. trachomatis DNA in the infertility and routine physical examination groups (86.67% vs. 95%, p > 0.05); however, among women with negative C. trachomatis DNA, the former group had a markedly higher seroprevalence than the latter group (56.74% vs. 20.17%, p < 0.001). C. trachomatis DNA, but not pgp3 antibody, was significantly associated with CIN (OR = 4.087, 95% CI = 2.284–7.315, p < 0.001). Our results revealed a high prevalence, particularly seroprevalence, of C. trachomatis among women with infertility. Furthermore, we found an association between C. trachomatis omp1 sense mutations and CIN. Therefore, C. trachomatis serves as a risk factor for CIN.

中文翻译：

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湖南省不孕不育及妇科门诊女性生殖器沙眼衣原体感染特征

沙眼衣原体（C. trachomatis）的生殖器感染是世界范围内的一个主要公共卫生问题。它会导致宫颈炎、尿​​道炎和不孕症。本研究旨在确定就诊于不孕症和妇科诊所的女性生殖器沙眼衣原体感染的特征。从 8,221 名女性身上收集宫颈拭子，进行沙眼衣原体核苷酸筛查和基因分型，同时收集血清样本，使用荧光素酶免疫吸附测定法测定沙眼衣原体 pgp3 抗体。沙眼衣原体 DNA 流行率 (3.76%) 和血清流行率 (47.46%) 较高，其中 E 基因型 (27.5%) 最为流行。沙眼衣原体 omp1 有义突变与宫颈上皮内瘤变 (CIN) 相关（比值比 [OR] = 6.033，95% 置信区间 [CI] = 1.219–39.185，p = 0.045）。不孕症组和常规体检组中可检测到沙眼衣原体 DNA 的女性之间，沙眼衣原体血清阳性率没有显着差异（86.67% vs. 95%，p > 0.05）；然而，在沙眼衣原体 DNA 阴性的女性中，前一组的血清阳性率明显高于后一组（56.74% vs. 20.17%，p < 0.001）。沙眼衣原体 DNA（而非 pgp3 抗体）与 CIN 显着相关（OR = 4.087，95% CI = 2.284–7.315，p < 0.001）。我们的结果显示，不孕妇女中沙眼衣原体的患病率很高，尤其是血清患病率。此外，我们发现沙眼衣原体 omp1 有义突变与 CIN 之间存在关联。因此，沙眼衣原体是 CIN 的危险因素。