Preliminary Results of a Screening Programme for Chlamydia in an Asymptomatic Young Population in Spain

Abstract

Introduction:Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection has increased in recent years, reaching 127 million cases in 2016. Possible complications, especially among women, require intervention for early detection of the infection. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of CT infection in a young, sexually active, asymptomatic population.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2017 and 31 December 2018 among young patients aged 18–25 years attending the emergency room for any reason. The presence of CT and other STIs in urine was determined by the Allplex Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) with a urine sample. All patients testing positive were followed by the STD unit and tests on all sexual partners/contacts were offered. Moreover, we obtained data about sexual habits and risk factors via a self-reporting questionnaire.Results: One thousand three hundred eight patients were eligible for inclusion of whom 298 consented to participate. Of these, 22/298 (7.4%) were diagnosed with CT. Young people with two or more sexual partners in the last month and those suffering from infection by ureaplasma were at greater risk of infection by CT. Up to 50% of participants do not use barrier methods.Conclusion: The prevalence of infection by CT in the asymptomatic young population is higher than expected according to the recent literature in Spain. The scarce use of barrier methods among this population may be one of the causes of this increase and one of the targets to work on in order to reduce the prevalence of the infection.

Results of a Community-Based Screening Program for Chlamydia trachomatis Genital Infection in Young People Aged 18–25 Years

“…This figure is slightly higher than that in the 2010 study (4.1%) [16] but lower than in the preliminary study conducted by our team in 2018 [23], which was 7.4%. One might think that the pandemic, and its subsequent lockdowns over the past two years, may have reduced the reporting of cases, and therefore these figures would not reveal the real situation [10].…”

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in a screening program for under‐30‐year‐old pregnant women with a high participation rate in northern Spain (2016–2020)

“…In Europe, Germany, England, and the Netherlands have these types of programs for C. trachomatis , with coverage of between 15% and 35% 27–29 . In Spain, among sexually active young people between 18 and 25 years old with no symptoms of STIs who sought medical attention at the emergency department of a public hospital for other reasons, only 23% agreed to participate in an STI screening program 30 . Innovative strategies based on raising awareness of the confidentiality, simplicity, and benefits of screening are needed to increase rates of participation.…”

Report of sexually transmitted infections prevalence in asymptomatic pregnant women under 25 years old in Lleida, Spain

“…This study was conducted in sexual and reproductive health centres throughout Catalonia, so it shows higher STIs prevalence. Moreover, a second study done in asymptomatic young sexually active patients attending the emergency room of our hospital for reasons unrelated to an STI showed a CT prevalence of 7.4% [ 10 ].…”