Chlamydia trachomatis genital infections in Tahiti

The rate of Chlamydia trachomatis infection was determined in three populations in Tahiti by means of a direct immunofluorescence test performed in specimens, tissue culture and detection of chlamydial antibody in serum specimens using a single-serotype indirect immunofluorescence test. Chlamydia trachomatis was recovered in 53% of 53 bar girls, 24% of 75 women attending a public maternity clinic for routine care, and 37% of 71 men attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic with acute or subacute urethritis. The presence of chlamydial antibody in a high proportion of the groups studied confirmed the high frequency of chlamydial infections (62.3%, 66.6% and 83.1% respectively). Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection was often associated with chlamydial infection in both bar girls and men with urethritis (11.4% and 18.3% respectively). With regard to clinical manifestations, 58.3% (7/12) of bar girls and 23.2% (10/43) women at the maternity clinic without clinical complaints were found to be Chlamydia trachomatis-positive. The presence of Chlamydia trachomatis in these asymptomatic persons highlights their important role in spread of this organism in Tahiti. The findings indicate that routine testing for Chlamydia trachomatis is warranted in patients attending the sexually transmitted disease and public maternity clinics in Tahiti.