Prevalence of Ureaplasma urealyticum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and herpes simplex virus in Beijing, China

Abstract

The prevalence of sexually transmitted infection (STI) pathogens in Beijing, China, is rarely reported. In this study, 34 911 symptomatic outpatients with suspected genital infections who attended outpatient clinics in a tertiary care hospital were included to investigate the updated prevalence of Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2016 in Beijing, China. Results indicated that a decrease trend (UU, CT, NG and HSV) in male and an increase trend (UU, CT and NG) in female were observed during the period. Patients aged 20–39 years old were mostly affected by these pathogens, while the prevalence in patients aged 20–29 years old was the highest, The prevalence of UU in male was significantly lower than in female (31.5% vs. 49.3%, P < 0.05), while the prevalence of NG in male was significantly higher than in female (2.5% vs. 0.8%, P < 0.05). In patients with co-infections, 60.6% of male and 71.4% of female were co-infected by UU + CT. In total, 11.9% and 88.1% of patients with HSV infections were confirmed to be infected by HSV-1 and HSV-2. This study could contribute to a better understanding of the current epidemiological features of UU, NG, CT and HSV among symptomatic patients attending an outpatient clinic in Beijing, China, and thus facilitate to develop more effective intervention, prevention and treatment of STI.

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis Among Pregnant Women, Gynecology Clinic Attendees, and Subfertile Women in Guangdong, China: A Cross-sectional Survey

“…Compared with the CT prevalence in countries such as United States (7.4% in pregnant women during 2014–2017) [ 22 ] and low- and middle-income countries in Asia (0.8% in 2012–2015) [ 23 ], our study population had a higher prevalence: 6.7% for pregnant women, 8.2% for gynecology clinic attendees, and 5.9% for infertility clinic attendees. We also note a relatively high prevalence in women from Shenzhen (10.1% in sexual and reproductive health clinics in 2018) [ 24 ], Taizhou (10.2% in gynecology outpatients during 2013–2018), and Beijing (5.9% in outpatient clinic attendees during 2013–2016) [ 16 ]. The lower prevalence for women attending infertility clinics may be explained by the following reasons: (a) we included all subfertile women, and ~30% of them suffered tubal infertility; (b) we used NAAT to test chlamydia, which measures current infection status and not past infection; a study on CT and infertility showed that a past CT infection was a key determinant of tubal infertility [ 25 ]; and (c) past chlamydia infection has ascended to and been recurrent in uteran tubal, and other remote sites in infertile women, but it cannot be detected in urine or cervical swabs.…”

“…Considering the incomplete coverage of surveillance sites, the large proportion of asymptomatic infections, and the limited use of NAAT, we hypothesize that the prevalence of CT is underreported in China. There have been several publications about the epidemiology of CT in Chinese women of childbearing age in the past 2 decades [ 16–20 ]. A recent survey from Beijing, Zhejiang, Shenzhen, and Hunan showed that the prevalence of CT ranged from 4.7% to 10.2% in women.…”

Association between asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections and high-risk human papillomavirus in cervical lesions

“…in Shanghai and Beijing, China. 10,11 Such high rates indicate that these silent infections require earlier diagnosis and specific treatment to prevent adverse outcomes. Condom use and healthy sexual habits are important to reduce the chance of transmission.…”

“…In our study, the rate of UU infection was the highest among non-HPV pathogens, which is similar to data reported by Xu et al in Shanghai and Beijing, China. 10,11 Such high rates indicate that these silent infections require earlier diagnosis and specific treatment to prevent adverse outcomes. Condom use and healthy sexual habits are important to reduce the chance of transmission.…”

An Updated Overview of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Infection: Insights from Origin to Mitigation Measures

“…In the overall tested population, 92.0% HSV-1 seroprevalence was present, which was linked to increasing age as well [92]. From a more recent study conducted in the last decade, it was evident that HSV-1 prevalence varies in age group as both males and females of the infected population were among the 20-39 age group (men=68.2% & women=72.6%), and infected individuals from older age group were lesser [92,93]. Similar studies from middle east supports the fact that seroprevalence for HSV-1 is linked with increasing age as samples from children under age 10 was lowest at 60.5%, however highest in people over or equal to 30 years (94.3%) [94,95].…”