title: Comparative study in infertile couples with and without Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chlamydia, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis(C. trachomatis), is the most common sexually transmitted disease. The incidence is not clear due to the asymptomatic nature of early stage of infections. The incidence of Chlamydia has not been fully investigated in the Chinese Han population. Since chronic infection with can C. trachomatis can lead to infertility in males and females, it is important to determine the impact of infection on clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to explore the epidemiology of C. trachomatis in subfertile couples and to determine whether infections will adversely affect clinical outcomes after assisted reproduction technique (ART) treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subfertile patients (n = 30760) were screened in the research for C. trachomatis in our center from January 2010 to December 2014. C. trachomatis-specific DNA was detected by Taq-man PCR from semen or swabs from the urethral, endocervix or vaginal. The control group consisted of 1140 subfertile patients without C. trachomatis infection. The prevalence and characteristics of C. trachomatis were identified for subfertile couples and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed. A retrospective study was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine hundred and seventy patients were diagnosed with C. trachomatis infection, and the overall prevalence was 3.15% in the most recent five years, with a yearly increasing. The incidence was a higher in the second half of the year (3.40%) compared to the first half (2.69%). The age group with the highest-risk of infection with C. trachomatis was between 26 to 35 years old, and in about one third of the couples, both partners were infected. The basic parameters and clinical outcomes were not statistically significant between different the groups (P > 0.05), even though some minor data were different (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  C. trachomatis is a common infection in subfertile people and it is essential to test for this organism in ART couples' screening. This study identified no adverse on clinical outcomes after successful treatment of C. trachomatis infection, regardless of gender, age and number of C. trachomatis copies.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100000, China.|Key Lab in Healthy Science and Technology, Division of Life Science, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
authors.forename: Yuanchang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Central South University, the State Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of China, Changsha, 410000, China.
authors.forename: Biao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Reproductive Immunology of Preimplantation, Shenzhen Zhongshan Institute for Reproduction and Genetics, Fertility Center, Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
authors.forename: Tonghua
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Reproductive Immunology of Preimplantation, Shenzhen Zhongshan Institute for Reproduction and Genetics, Fertility Center, Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Reproductive Immunology of Preimplantation, Shenzhen Zhongshan Institute for Reproduction and Genetics, Fertility Center, Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Reproductive Immunology of Preimplantation, Shenzhen Zhongshan Institute for Reproduction and Genetics, Fertility Center, Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Key Lab in Healthy Science and Technology, Division of Life Science, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518000, China. zhuyc14@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yaou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012747:Sexual Partners; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Assisted reproduction technique; Chlamydia trachomatis; Clinical outcome; Epidemiology; Subfertile