Background: Streptococcus agalactiae or group B streptococcus, GBS, is the leading cause of neonatal and maternal infections and an opportunistic pathogen in (Rev Méd Chile 2004; 132: 549-55).

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Prevalence of cervical infection by Chlamydia trachomatis among Chilean women living in the Metropolitan Region Background: Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. In women, chlamydia infections are 75% asymptomatic and can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. Infants exposed to the microorganism at birth also have a high risk to develop conjunctivitis and pneumonia. Aim: To determine the prevalence of C trachomatis in women in the Metropolitan area of Santiago (Chile). Patients and methods: Cervical specimens were collected from 403 women attending three gynecological outpatient settings from April 2003 to June 2005. These included one public hospital (n =100), a private medical center (n =268), and a clinic for adolescents (n =35). Mean ages of each group of patients were 35.6±8,2, 33.4±8.1 and 16.9±4.2 years, respectively. The diagnosis of C trachomatis was performed by the amplification by PCR of a 517-base pair segment of the cryptic plasmid on specimens extracted by a commercial procedure. Positive specimens were confirmed by nested PCRs targeting the ompl gene. The presence of vaginal infections and its association with C trachomatis was investigated in a subset of 223 women of the private center. Results: C trachomatis was detected in the cervix of 19 out of 403 women, resulting in a prevalence of 4.7%. The distribution of positive cases among different age groups was not significantly different. Women presenting with bacterial vaginosis had a significantly higher prevalence of C trachomatis infection (p <0.01). Conclusions: This study found a high prevalence of C trachomatis among gynecologic patients that should prompt preventive strategies (

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