Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis DNA in cervical samples with regard to infection by human papillomavirus

Objective: the correlation between human papillomavirus (HPV) and Chlamydia trachomatis infections was evaluated in 144 patients with normal cytology or with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). Methods: cervical samples were analysed using polymerase chain reaction (PC R) and non-radioactive Southern blot analysis. Specificity and sensitivity of two C. trachomatis PCR systems: major outer membrane protein (MOMP)-PCR and plasmid-PCR were determined. Southern blot hybridization of the PCR amp licons was done using 5' and 3' biotinylated oligonucleotide probes. Results: all cervical samples were tested by the plasmid-PCR due to a 10 ti mes higher sensitivity compared to the MOMP-PCR. To determine the specifici ty of our C. trachomatis primer sets different bacteria and viruses which c an cause urogenital infections were analysed. Comparison of the probes reve aled an increased sensitivity of the 5' and 3' double-biotinylated probe vs , the 5' biotinylated probe. The infection rate of C. trachomatis in cervic al samples of HPV-positive patients was 10.3% (three out of 29) vs. 1.7% (t wo out of 115; P less than or equal to 0.05) in HPV-negative patients. In p atients HPV-X (unsequenced HPV-types) positive the rate was 14.3% tone out of seven) vs. 2.9% (four out of 137; P = 0.2) in HPV-X negative patients. I n high risk (HR) HPV-positive cervical samples the infection rate was 9.1% (two out of 22) vs. 2.5% (three out of 122; P = 0.14) in HR HPV-negative sa mples. Chlamydia trachomatis frequency of patients with cytological changes (ASCUS) was 27.3% (three out of 11) vs. 1.5% (two out of 133) in patients with normal cytology (P = 0.003). The highest prevalence rate of C. trachom atis-positive cervical samples (50%; one out of two) was found in HR HPV-po sitive patients with cytological changes (ASCUS) vs. 5% tone out of 20) in HR HPV-positive patients with normal cytology (P = 0.17). Patients negative for HPV and positive for ASCUS have a C. trachomatis rate of 22.2% (two ou t of nine) vs. HPV-negative patients with normal cytology (none out of 106; P = 0.006) and vs. HR HPV-negative patients with normal cytology (0.9%; on e out of 113; P = 0.014). Conclusions: there appears to be a correlation between cervical HPV and cer vical C. trachomatis infections. The prevalence rate of C, trachomatis was significantly higher in patients with abnormal cytology (ASCUS) vs. normal cytology.