[Chlamydia trachomatis in a urogenital practice: 435 specimens collected at a Senegalese hospital]

Between March 1993 and April 1994, tests to detect Chlamydia trachomatis were performed by direct immunofluorescence on genital discharges from 99 men and 336 women at the Medical Biology Laboratory of Principal Hospital in Dakar, Senegal. Chlamadyial infection was demonstrated in 30 men (30.3%) and 31 women (9.2%). Working women who tested positive for Chlamydia trachomatis were significantly older than those who tested negative (p < 0.05). The opposite was true for working men (p < 0.05). The incidence of positive findings was significantly higher in students (20.5%) than in non-students (10.7%) (p < 0.05). From a clinical standpoint urethral discharge was noted in only 24% of infected men whereas vaginal discharge was present in 96% of infected women. For most infected women the motive for consultation was infertility. The findings of this study attest to the prevalence of Chlamydial infection in the population studied and underline the need for further study to determine its role in the etiology of infertility.