Acceptability and Feasibility of Rapid Chlamydial, Gonococcal, and Trichomonal Screening and Treatment in Pregnant Women in 6 Low- to Middle-Income Countries.

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) infections during pregnancy are linked with adverse birth outcomes. However, few countries have prenatal CT, NG, or TV screening programs. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of CT, NG, and TV screening and treatment among pregnant women across 6 low- to middle-income countries.

METHODS: A total of 1817 pregnant women were screened for CT, NG, and TV in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, South Africa, and Vietnam. An additional 640 pregnant women were screened for CT in Peru. Screening occurred between December 2012 and October 2017. Acceptability of screening was evaluated at each site as the proportion of eligible women who agreed to participate in screening. Feasibility of treatment was calculated as the proportion of women who tested positive that received treatment.

RESULTS: Acceptability of screening and feasibility of treatment was high across all 6 sites. Acceptability of screening ranged from 85% to 99%, and feasibility of treatment ranged from 91% to 100%.

DISCUSSION: The high acceptability and feasibility of screening and treatment of CT, NG, and TV among pregnant women supports further research to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of prenatal CT, NG, and TV screening programs.