title: Conjunctival infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in sexual partners of patients with adult inclusion conjunctivitis.
abstract: To compare the incidence of conjunctival infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in sexual partners of patients with newly diagnosed adult inclusion conjunctivitis (AIC) and a control group with healthy eyes. We also compare the observed signs and symptoms of conjunctival infection in patients with newly diagnosed AIC and their sexual partners. We performed a prospective comparative case-control study between patients with newly diagnosed AIC confirmed with direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) (n = 11), their sexual partners (n = 11), and a control group of healthy subjects (n = 11). Clinical history, physical examination, and a DFA test for C. trachomatis of a conjunctival scrapping from the tarsal conjunctiva were performed in all patients. A significantly higher frequency of positive DFA tests for C. trachomatis was observed in the sexual partner group (n = 8, 73 %) compared with the healthy control group (n = 2, 18.2 %) (P = 0.03). Ocular symptoms and signs were observed significantly more often in patients from the confirmed clinically active AIC group (n = 11, 100 %) than in their sexual partners (n = 2, 12.5 %). Sexual partners of patients with AIC are at greater risk of having an asymptomatic conjunctival infection with C. trachomatis than healthy subjects. Sexual partners might be considered a bacterial reservoir and a possible source for chlamydia reinfection. Not treating sexual partners might increase the probability of reinfection. More extended studies with a greater sample size should be done.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and "Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez" University Hospital, Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon (UANL), Av. Madero y Gonzalitos s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, 64460, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, drkmohamed1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mohamed-Noriega
authors.forename: Jibran
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mohamed-Noriega
authors.forename: Manuel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Valdés-Navarro
authors.forename: Edgar Eliezar
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Cuervo-Lozano
authors.forename: Martín Cesar
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fernández-Espinosa
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mohamed-Hamsho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology; D003235:Conjunctivitis, Inclusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012747:Sexual Partners; D015231:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology*