Effectiveness of Chlamydia trachomatis expedited partner therapy in pregnancy

Expedited partner therapy for Chlamydia trachomatis has had mixed efficacy in different populations, but limited data exist on the efficacy of the therapy in a pregnant population.

This study aimed to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of establishing a prenatal expedited partner therapy program in eradicating chlamydia before delivery and to examine the maternal and neonatal outcomes between women who received expedited partner therapy for chlamydia and women who received standard partner referral testing and treatment during pregnancy.

An expedited partner therapy program was implemented on August 21, 2019, at a public hospital in a county with high chlamydia prevalence. Pregnant women were provided with single-dose packets of azithromycin to treat partners following a diagnosis of chlamydia infection. We prospectively observed pregnant women treated in the expedited partner therapy program who delivered at our institution in the same year and compared the outcomes with a historic cohort from the previous year that had traditional partner referral testing and treatment. We excluded women with concurrent gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, or current intimate partner violence. The primary outcome was chlamydia reinfection or no-cure rates at repeat testing in 4 to 6 weeks following treatment or at the 36-week prenatal care screening. Secondary outcomes included obstetrical, maternal, and neonatal outcomes, including premature rupture of membranes, chorioamnionitis, endometritis, neonatal intensive care unit admission, neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, and conjunctivitis.

The rate of chlamydia infection was 3.6% over a 2-year period in our delivered population. In the year following the implementation of the expedited partner therapy, compared with 419 women (mean±standard deviation, 23.4±5.5 years) who were diagnosed with chlamydia infection in the previous year, 471 women (mean±standard deviation age, 23.8±5.3 years) who delivered at our institution were diagnosed with chlamydia infection. There was no difference in race, parity, prenatal care attendance, or concomitant sexually transmitted infections. Compared with the pre-expedited partner therapy group, the rate of reinfection in the post-expedited partner therapy group was not statistically different (60/471 [13%] vs 61/419 [15%]; odds ratio, 0.86 [95% confidence interval 0.58-1.26]). In a per-protocol analysis, 72 women (17%) in the pre-expedited partner therapy group and 389 women (83%) in post-expedited partner therapy group received expedited partner therapy; reinfection was not statistically different between groups (P=.47). There was no difference in secondary outcomes, although a trend toward improved rates of endometritis was noted in the post-expedited partner therapy group (odds ratio, 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-1.02).

The implementation of a prenatal expedited partner therapy program did not affect the rate of chlamydia reinfection before delivery. Treatment of chlamydia in an inner-city population has multiple factors that lead to successful treatment. Future efforts to reduce sexually transmitted infection and chlamydia reinfection rates in an at-risk population should include exploring patient education and safe sex practices beyond expedited partner therapy alone during pregnancy.