No association of anti-Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies and severity of cervical neoplasia.
OBJECTIVE
To explore whether the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies is associated with the severity of neoplastic lesions in women with cervical dyskaryosis.


METHODS
In a cross sectional study in two groups of women referred for an abnormal Papanicolaou smear (group A: 296, group B: 331 women) blood samples were analysed for antichlamydial antibodies by enzyme immunoassay. Cervical neoplasia was graded histologically.


RESULTS
In group A no association was found between increasing grade of CIN and the presence of antichlamydial antibodies. The proportion (93%) of women with antichlamydial antibodies was higher in 14 women with (micro)invasive carcinoma than in women with CIN (35%). As the high prevalence of antichlamydial antibodies in women with cervical carcinoma is not consistent with prevalences reported in recent literature, we analysed a second group of women in which indeed the high prevalence was not confirmed


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the presence of circulating antichlamydial antibodies is not associated with the severity of neoplastic lesions and it seems unlikely that C trachomatis has a role in the progression of cervical neoplasia.
Reesink-Peters
N
N
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ossewaarde
J M
JM
Van Der Zee
A G
AG
Quint
W G
WG
Burger
M P
MP
Adriaanse
A H
AH
D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial