Genotyping of Endocervical Chlamydia trachomatis Strains and Detection of Serological Markers of Acute and Chronic Inflammation in Their Host

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is the most prevalent cause ofbacterial sexually transmitted infections (STI) recognized throughout the world. Theaim of this study is to determine different genotypes of genital C. trachomatis andthe association between the serological markers of inflammation and genotypes ofC. trachomatis in sexually active women (n=80) attending Shahid Beheshti Hospitalin Isfahan, Iran.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, endocervical swabs were collectedfrom 80 women. There were 17 endocervical samples that showed positivity for C. trachomatisby plasmid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using KL1 and KL2 primers. Theomp1 gene was directly amplified in 17 plasmid PCR positive samples and was usedto differentiate the clinical genotypes by omp1 gene PCR-restriction fragment lengthpolymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The levels of IgG and IgA specific to C. trachmatis andC-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated.Results: Based on restriction-digestion patterns, four genotypes were identified. GenotypesE (35.3%) and F (35.3%) were the most prevalent, followed by D/Da (23.5%) and K(5.9%). There was no significant association between genotypes and the presence ofIgG and CRP. Patients infected with genotype E showed a serological marker of chronicinflammation, i.e. IgA seropositivity, significantly more than patients infected with othergenotypes (p=0.042).Conclusion: Nested PCR could increase the sensitivity of omp1 amplification. Based onthe presence of IgA, chronic C. trachomatis infections were observed more frequentlyamong genotype E-infected patients in our population.