A Distinct Genotype, D/Ep6, Detected in Korean Female Patients: Chlamydia trachomatis Characterization from 2017 - 2018.

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study lies in identifying the dominant genotype of C. trachomatis isolated in Republic of Korea (ROK) between 2017 and 2018.

METHODS

A total of 504 clinical cervicovaginal swabs from patients were collected and inoculated on McCoy cell monolayers to isolate Chlamydial agents. C. trachomatis isolates were analyzed by sequencing of its ompA gene.

RESULTS

A total of 54 C. trachomatis isolates were obtained. The constructed phylogenetic tree revealed the genotypes of isolates are D/Ep6 (48, 88.89%), D/Ep6-like (5, 9.26%), and Ja (1, 1.85%). The C. trachomatis D/Ep6-like have one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) compared to C. trachomatis D/Ep6, leading to E870K amino acid change.

CONCLUSIONS

Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated globally rare C. trachomatis D/Ep6 was dominant in the ROK from 2017 to 2018. Findings in this study act as a keystone, bridging past and present molecular epidemiology of C. trachomatis in context of ROK.