[Prevalence of cervicovaginal infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis among female population of the city of Cuernavaca, Morelos].

The chlamydiae are a genetically diverse group of bacteria with a unique intracellular development cycle. The spectrum of clinical manifestations of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in the female includes cervicitis, acute urethral syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, salpingitis and the risk of exposure of infants born through an infected birth canal who may develop inclusion conjunctivitis and/or pneumonia. In order to determine the prevalence of cervicovaginal infections caused by C. trachomatis in female population in Cuernavaca, Morelos, we studied 2,407 sexually active women from a suburban area. Genital specimens were collected from each woman and cultured in McCoy cell monolayers. Detection of the bacteria was done by staining with fluorescein-conjugated monoclonal antibodies (Syva Microtrak, Palo Alto CA). 97 of them were culture-positive for C. trachomatis, with and overall prevalence of 4.02 per cent. The most important clinical symptom observed in 47 of the infected patients was an increased or altered vaginal discharge.