Chlamydia Trachomatis Antibody Titre Association with Tubal Pathology among Infertile Women in a Tertiary Care Facility in Nigeria

Abstract

Context: Tubal pathology has been implicated as the leading cause of infertility in sub-Saharan Africa, and has been linked with Chlamydia trachomatis infection. However, there is limited reports on the relationship between Chlamydial antibody titre and tubal infertility in our environment. Aim: To study the relationship between quantitative serum Chlamydia trachomatis antibody titre and tubal factor infertility. Study Design: Case control study. Methods and Materials: Fifty infertile women with tubal pathology were matched with 100 pregnant women. Blood samples were collected and analysed using ELISA for quantitative determination of anti-chlamydial antibody. Statistical analysis Used: Data management was with SPSS with significant p-value set at < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of positive Chlamydia antibody titre in the infertile women with tubal pathology was 72% and 23% in the pregnant women (P ˂ 0.001).The median (IQR) chlamydial antibody titre of 2.5 (0.89-4.41) seen in the women with tubal infertility was significantly higher than 0.8 (0.41-0.92) seen in the pregnant women (P<0.001). Patients with tubal infertility were two times more likely to test positive for chlamydia antibody when compared with the pregnant patients. There was no statistically significant relationship between serum levels of chlamydia trachomatis IgG titre and severity of tubal pathology (P=0.293). Conclusion: Chlamydia trachomatis infection was highly prevalent among patients with tubal infertility, with significantly higher titres in them compared with the controls. There was no significant association between elevated chlamydial antibody titre and extent of tubal damage.