Frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis in pregnant women

Frequency of chlamydia trachomatis infection was investigated in eighty-five pregnant women by direct immunofluorescence (IF) and iodine staining methods. The overall frequency of true positive by both methods was 8.2%. Direct immunofluorescence method alone detected chlamydia infection in 16.5% women with 50% sensitivity and 93% specificity and by iodine method in 14.1% women with 58.3% sensitivity and 90.4% specificity. This shows that as compared to IF iodine method is more sensitive and less expensive and easier to perform. The frequency of chlamydia trachomatis infection in our study population appears to be age dependent with younger patients being more likely to be infected than the older patients.