title: [Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and risk factors associated with infection detected in endocervical sample].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It was to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and the risk factors associated with infection in endocervical specimens from women seen in outpatient Obstetrics and Gynecology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of endocervical secretion of 200 women treated at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Rio Grande were analyzed for the presence of C. trachomatis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers that amplify CT05/CT06 281 base pairs of the main outer membrane protein of C. trachomatis. All participants completed a pre-coded and self-report questionnaire. Data were analyzed with the SPSS 17.0 software; for multivariate analysis it was used Poisson regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 200 women who were included in the study, the prevalence of infection with C. trachomatis was 11% (22 patients) and these 55 (27.5%) were positive for HPV. Risk factors associated with infection by C. trachomatis were: 8 years or less of schooling (p<0.001), family income below the poverty level (p=0.005), first intercourse at age 15 or less (p=0.04) and being a carrier of the virus HIV (p<0.001). After multivariate analysis, only the variables of schooling or less than eight years (PR 6.0; 95%CI 1.26 - 29.0; p=0.02) and presence of HIV (RP 14.1; 95%CI 3.4 - 57.5; p<0.001) remained statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of C. trachomatis in endocervical specimens by PCR was 11%. The factors associated with a higher infection by C. trachomatis were lower education and being HIV positive.
authors.forename: Alzira Xavier
authors.initials: AX
authors.lastname: Garcês
authors.forename: Ana Maria Barral
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: de Martinez
authors.forename: Carla Vitola
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Fabiana Nunes
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Germano
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda Martinez
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Barral
authors.forename: Valdimara Correia
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Vieira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult