Correlates of genital Chlamydial trachomatis infection in a cohort of infertile women in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Genital Chlamydial trachomatis infection, though often asymptomatic, is an established indirect causative agent of female infertility via its activities on the tubal physiology. Many risk factors are postulated for its acquisition and the main thrust of this study was to establish the organisms’ correlates among infertile women attending gynaecologic clinic in Ibadan.Methods: A systematic sampling technique was used on each selected day to recruit women who met the inclusion criteria into the study using a sampling frame of 2. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain attributes considered as risk factors for acquiring genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection from 150 consenting infertile women between January and November 2015. These attributes included sexual history, social status, alcohol intake and past history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Blood samples and endocervical swabs were subsequently taken for detection of C. trachomatis infection using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 34.1±5.6 years and 7.30% were positive for C. trachomatis. Chlamydia trachomatis infection was significantly associated with past history of gonorrhoea, history of multiple sexual partners, husband that has other sexual partners and lifetime sexual partners greater than one.Conclusions: The prevalence of asymptomatic C. trachomatis among infertile women indicated the pathogen as a potential aetiologic agent of female infertility and supported the asymptomatic nature of the infection. The risk factors found to be associated with the organisms’ infection lend out further support to the sexual transmissibility of C. trachomatis

Selection of Mass Transfer Models for Competitive Adsorption of Antibiotics Mixture from Aqueous Solution on Delonix regia Pod Activated Carbon

The selection of suitable mass transfer models that fit the adsorption of a mixture of antibiotics in aqueous solution onto activated carbon derived from Delonix Regia Pods (DRPs) was examined in this study. The ripe DRPs were cleaned, activated with KOH and then carbonised at 350 °C. The surface chemistry of the raw and the modified DRPs were characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), before being subjected to batch adsorption of a mixture of Amoxicillin (AMO), Tetracycline (TETRA) and Ampicillin (AMP)  under the effect of time (0-240 mins), and concentration (20-100 mg/l). The adsorption diffusion mechanisms of the process were analyzed. The spectra of the raw and modified DRP indicate the existence of hydroxyl groups alkanes, unconjugated ketone, carbonyl, and ester groups.  McKay has the highest  (0.9445) for the mass transfer diffusion model. This indicates that the adsorption rate of the selected antibiotics in the wastewater is regulated and monitored by the internal mass transport processes in accordance with a pore diffusion mechanism

The prevalence of, and risk factors for, mycoplasma genitalium infection among infertile women in Ibadan: A cross-sectional study

Background: The association of mycoplasma genitalium (M. genitalium) with infertility has been documented. The infections are asymptomatic and difficult to diagnose. Understanding the associated risk factors will help in facilitating better screening measures for at-risk groups. Objective: The aim was to determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, M. genitalium infection among infertile women in Ibadan. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 402 women (267 infertile and 135 fertile) referred to 2 hospitals in Ibadan between March and November 2015 were enrolled. Information was obtained, using structured questionnaire, on sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of the respondents while endocervical swabs were obtained for detection of M. genitalium. MgPa gene was diagnosed using the conventional Polymerase chain reaction. Bands corresponding to 495kb were documented as positive for M. genitalium. Results: Among the infertile women, 43 (16.1%) had evidence of M. genitalium infection as against 3 (2.2%) of women without infertility (p<0.001). Associated risk factors included having more than one lifetime sexual partner (OR=10.13, 95% CI: 3.76-33.97); husbands having other sexual partners (OR=12.88, 95% CI: 2.08-90.63); being a serial monogamist (OR=6, 95% CI: 4.35-8.27) and low socio-economic status (OR=2.80, 95% CI: 1.28-6.10). No relationship exists between the previous history of sexually transmitted infections and M. genitalium. Conclusion: The risk factors for M. genitalium infection are similar to those peculiar to other sexually transmitted infections. Its routine screening should be incorporated into the current protocol for microbiological evaluation of infertile women

Tinuade A. Ajani*1, Samuel A. Fayemiwo1,2, Timothy A.O. Oluwasola3, Chinenye G. Anaedobe4, Mustapha A. Ajani5 & Rasheed A. Bakare1,2

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial organism that is usually associated with asymptomatic infection and sequelae such as infertility. Molecular methods such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) are considered as gold standard and highly specific diagnostic test for its detection. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among women attending infertility clinic in University College Hospital, Ibadan. Methodology: A cross-sectional hospital based study in which endocervical swabs were collected from 150 infertile women asymptomatic for genital infection at University College Hospital, Ibadan. Information on socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics were obtained using interviewer – administered questionnaire. The presence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection was detected by Conventional PCR. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results: Among the study participants, 11(7.30%) had evidence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Among those who are PCR positive for Chlamydia trachomatis 4(36.4%) have secondary infertility while 7(63.6%) have primary infertility. There is no significant association between the sociodemographic factors and Chlamydia trachomatis. Conclusion: The prevalence of asymptomatic genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection among women presenting with infertility from this present study highlighted the asymptomatic nature of Chlamydia trachomatis infection and the need to ensure that it is screened for routinel