Prevalence of chlamydial antibody in Malaysians
Ngeow, Y.F.; Rachagan, S.P.; Ramachandran, S.
Journal of Clinical Pathology 43(5): 400-402
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-9746 PMID: 2196283 DOI: 10.1136/jcp.43.5.400Document Number: 376250
794 sera from urban Malaysians (Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya) were screened for Chlamydia with an indirect immunofluorescence kit (Chlamydia-Spot IF Kit, BioMerieux, France) between August 1988-July 1989. 86% of the donors were Chinese: 251 asymptomatic males and 234 females; 101 women attending prenatal clinics; 46 infants under 6 months; 97 female and 11 male prostitutes; and 54 men attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Sera were tested at a single dilution: 1/16 for men, 1/64 for women and neonates, and 1/8 for chlamydial IgM testing and infants. The overall seropositivity rates were 43.3 for m en, 24.8% for women, 34.7% for pregnant women, 94.4% for prostitutes, and 72.2% for men with STDs. Positive titers increased from 16.2 to 72.2% with age in men. They were highest in women aged 11-20, 25.6% and 50, 66.7%. 13% of the infants were positive for IgM anti-chlamydial antibodies, possibly suggestive of intrauterine infection, and 39% were positive for IgG, porbably from placentral transfer.