Chlamydia trachomatis and pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in pregnant Viennese women

To identify the epidemiologic role of Chlamydia trachomatis in Vienna and its incidence in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, 1116 pregnant women (age range 16-43 years, medium age 26) were screened. Of 459 women applying for legal abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy, Chlamydia trachomatis was detected from the cervices of 24 (5.2%). Chlamydial detection was also performed in 657 women during the thirty-fourth week of pregnancy. The infection rate was found to be very similar to that of the other group (5.9%). The diagnosis was established by the direct immunofluorescence test. The number of elementary bodies did not differ between the two groups, indicating that pregnancy itself may not influence shedding of Chlamydia trachomatis from the cervix.