Association of Genital Infection with Specific Chlamydia trachomatis Serovars and Race

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 166; no. 6; pp. 1445 - 1449
• Main Authors: Workowski, Kimberly A., Suchland, Robert J., Pettinger, Mary B., Stamm, Walter E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.12.1992; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans; Age; Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Black people; Chlamydia Infections - ethnology; Chlamydia Infections - microbiology; Chlamydia trachomatis; Chlamydia trachomatis - classification; Concise Communication; Epidemiology; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; General aspects; Genitalia; Human infectious diseases. Experimental studies and models; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Men; Monoclonal antibodies; Multivariate Analysis; Native culture; Serotyping; Sexually transmitted diseases; Urethritis - ethnology; Urethritis - microbiology; Uterine Cervicitis - ethnology; Uterine Cervicitis - microbiology; Human; Chlamydiaceae; Negroid; Chlamydia trachomatis; Epidemiology; Female genital diseases; Genital diseases; Infection; Sexually transmitted disease; Risk factor; Race; Bacteriosis; Chlamydiales; Bacteria; Chlamydiosis; Serotype; Male genital diseases
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/166.6.1445

Black race is an important risk marker for Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection. To define whether C. trachomatis serovars differ by ethnic distribution, a panel of monoclonal antibodies was used to serotype 934 urethral and 581 cervical isolates from patients attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic over 2 years. The overall serovar distribution in cervical and urethral infections was comparable, with B class serovars predominating. Significantly higher inclusion counts were observed both in younger women and in nonblacks regardless ofserovar. Serovar D was less frequent among blacks at the urethral site (P = .001), while serovar Ia was more frequent in blacks at both sites (urethral, P < .001; cervical, P = .02). These associations remained significant after adjusting for age and number of inclusion-forming units by multivariate analysis. Thus, specific serovars may be associated with particular racial groups; either behavioral or biologic factors could explain these findings.