Prevalence of chlamydial antibody in pregnancy. A matched-pair study.
In this matched-pair study 139 pregnant women were matched on the basis of age to an equal number of non-pregnant women with no signs of genital infection. The mean age was 28.7 years (range 20-41). The cut-offs used for detection of chlamydial antibody were 1:64 and 1:128 for IgG and 1:16 for IgA. IgG antibody at 64 was detected in 37.4% of pregnant women, compared to 46% of controls (p = 0.145). There was, however, a statistically significant difference between the groups for IgG at 128 (gravidae = 15.8%; controls = 28%; p = 0.014). IgA were detected in 8.6% and 16.5% of subjects, respectively (p = 0.047). IgG levels did not vary with increasing age among the pregnant women, but rose significantly with age in non-pregnant controls (logistic regression p-values = 0.011 and 0.006, for IgG at 64 and 128, respectively). IgG-positive women in the control group tended to be older than pregnant IgG-positive women (p = 0.06). These differences could not be explained by marital status, parity or use of oral contraceptives. In view of the lack of epidemiological differences, biological explanations might be invoked.
Olliaro
P
P
Institute for Infectious Diseases, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Regazzetti
A
A
Marchetti
A L
AL
Lanzarini
P
P
Spinillo
A
A
Gorini
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G