Trend in Chlamydia trachomatis infection among pregnant women in the past ten years in Japan: significance of Chlamydia trachomatis seroprevalence.
OBJECTIVE
Chlamydia trachomatis infection is believed to be the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD) in industrialized countries. The objective of the current study was to assess the recent trend in the prevalence of C. trachomatis in Japan.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the trend in the seroprevalence for C. trachomatis among pregnant women in Nagasaki, Japan, during the past 10 years.


METHODS
The seroprevalence for C. trachomatis of 9,652 pregnant women of various ages screened in 1996 and 1997 was compared with those of 275 and 297 stocked samples from 1987 and 1992, respectively. Serum antibodies to C. trachomatis were detected by the enzyme immunoassay. Prospective samples of 33 seropositive cases were also analyzed to determine kinetics of the serum antibody titer.


RESULTS
The seroprevalence has decreased in all age groups during the last 10 years. More than 70% of seropositive cases converted to be seronegative within 10 years.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of C. trachomatis has been decreasing among Japanese pregnant women.
Yamamoto
T
T
Department of Social Medicine, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Sakamoto, Japan.
Moji
K
K
Kusano
Y
Y
Kurokawa
K
K
Kawagoe
K
K
Katamine
S
S
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial