Detection of anti-Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies in Patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections are among the sexually transmitted diseases known to increase the risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection. Serum samples from 34 consenting AIDS patients which attended the Government-approved Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) Facility at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja between April 2005 and March 2006 were screened by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the presence of anti-CT antibodies using ImmunoComb ® Chlamydia Bivalent IgG Test kit (Orgenics, Israel). Anti-CT antibodies were detected in ten (29.4%) of the thirty-four patients tested. The detection rate was higher among the females (33.3%) than the males (23.1%). Patients of the age group 31-45 years had the highest detection of anti-C. trachomatis antibodies, followed by those of age group 16-30 years. The result of the present study suggests the presence of anti-CT antibodies in AIDS patients, and reinforces the need for routine screening for anti-CT antibodies as a necessary intervention to reduce the burden of chlamydial diseases and to reduce the risk of HIV and its spread in Nigeria. The outcome of this study also provides justification for the possible inclusion of anti-chlamydial agents in the National AIDS Management Plan to treat associated C. trachomatis infections.

Seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and associated risk factors among HIV positive women in North Central Nigeria

“…Our findings reveal an overall prevalence rate of 23% for C. trachomatis among HIV-positive women in Ilorin and Offa, Kwara State. This is similar to the 29.4% reported in Abuja, Nigeria [21]. However, the prevalence in our study is lower than 45% in Bida, Niger State, a northern part of the country, 54.2% in India, and the prevalence is higher than the findings in Gombe State, Nigeria [22][23][24].…”