Screening Pregnant Women for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea in Saudi Arabia
Author Information
Author(s): Alzahrani, Alhusain, Obeid, Hassan, Manal I., Almulhim, Abdalaziz A.
Primary Institution: Dammam University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Hypothesis
The study aimed to screen pregnant women for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae infections and detect antimicrobial resistance patterns.
Conclusion
Screening for C. trachomatis should be included in antenatal care, while routine screening for gonorrhea is not recommended without risk factors.
Supporting Evidence
- 10.5% of pregnant women tested positive for C. trachomatis.
- 34.4% of the control group tested positive for C. trachomatis.
- N. gonorrhoeae was isolated from 7.8% of the control group.
- 62.5% of N. gonorrhoeae isolates were resistant to penicillin.
- Antimicrobial resistance was detected in several antibiotics for N. gonorrhoeae.
Takeaway
The study found that many pregnant women in Saudi Arabia are not tested for infections that can harm their babies, and some medicines no longer work against these infections.
Methodology
A prospective, hospital-based analysis with endocervical and high vaginal swabs collected from pregnant women and control group.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to reluctance of some women to participate in the study.
Limitations
Limited data on socioeconomic status and previous STIs; some pregnant women declined participation.
Participant Demographics
{"age":{"<25":24,"25-35":50,">35":21,"mean":29.9,"sd":7.0},"nationality":{"Saudi":71,"Non-Saudi":24},"religion":{"Muslim":90,"Others":5},"gravidity":{"1":22,"2-4":38,"5+":35},"parity":{"0":25,"1-4":48,"5+":22},"abortions":{"0":75,"1+":20}}
Statistical Information
P-Value
{"chlamydia_detection":"<0.001","gonorrhea_detection":"<0.01"}
Confidence Interval
{"gravidity":"1.09-1.72","gonorrhea_resistance":{"penicillin":"28.95–96.05","tetracycline":"15.35–84.65","ampicillin":"-5.01 to 55.01","amoxycillin_clavulinic_acid":"-5.01 to 55.01","ciprofloxacin":"3.95–71.05"}}
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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