Conjunctival infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in sexual partners of patients with adult inclusion conjunctivitis

• Published in: International ophthalmology Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 179 - 185
• Main Authors: Mohamed-Noriega, Karim, Mohamed-Noriega, Jibran, Valdés-Navarro, Manuel A., Cuervo-Lozano, Edgar Eliezar, Fernández-Espinosa, Martín Cesar, Mohamed-Hamsho, Jesús
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Chlamydia trachomatis; Chlamydia trachomatis - isolation & purification; Conjunctiva - microbiology; Conjunctivitis, Inclusion - diagnosis; Conjunctivitis, Inclusion - epidemiology; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; Humans; Incidence; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mexico - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Ophthalmology; Original Paper; Prospective Studies; Sexual Partners; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial - epidemiology; Mexico; Adult inclusion conjunctivitis; Sexual partner; Sexually transmitted infection; Conjunctivitis
• ISSN: 0165-5701; 1573-2630; 1573-2630
• DOI: 10.1007/s10792-014-9930-z

To compare the incidence of conjunctival infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in sexual partners of patients with newly diagnosed adult inclusion conjunctivitis (AIC) and a control group with healthy eyes. We also compare the observed signs and symptoms of conjunctival infection in patients with newly diagnosed AIC and their sexual partners. We performed a prospective comparative case–control study between patients with newly diagnosed AIC confirmed with direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) ( n  = 11), their sexual partners ( n  = 11), and a control group of healthy subjects ( n  = 11). Clinical history, physical examination, and a DFA test for C. trachomatis of a conjunctival scrapping from the tarsal conjunctiva were performed in all patients. A significantly higher frequency of positive DFA tests for C. trachomatis was observed in the sexual partner group ( n  = 8, 73 %) compared with the healthy control group ( n  = 2, 18.2 %) ( P  = 0.03). Ocular symptoms and signs were observed significantly more often in patients from the confirmed clinically active AIC group ( n  = 11, 100 %) than in their sexual partners ( n  = 2, 12.5 %). Sexual partners of patients with AIC are at greater risk of having an asymptomatic conjunctival infection with C. trachomatis than healthy subjects. Sexual partners might be considered a bacterial reservoir and a possible source for chlamydia reinfection. Not treating sexual partners might increase the probability of reinfection. More extended studies with a greater sample size should be done.