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Chlamydia trachomatis: a major agent of respiratory infections in infants from low-income families.
- Source :
- Jornal de Pediatria; Sep/Oct2012, Vol. 88 Issue 5, p423-429, 7p
- Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- Objectives: To determine the prevalence of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) due to Chlamydia trachomatis in newborn infants and to describe the clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of the disease. Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out over a 12-month period. All infants up to 6 months of age admitted consecutively at the Centro Pediátrico Professor Hosannah de Oliveira of the Universidade Federal da Bahia in Salvador, Brazil, and diagnosed with LRTI according to clinical and/or radiological criteria were included in the study. C. trachomatis infection was diagnosed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of IgM-class antibodies. The prevalence of LRTI by C. trachomatis was determined and the prevalence ratios for the infection and clinical or laboratory variables were calculated. Results: One hundred and fifty-one infants were submitted to serology for C. trachomatis and 15 (9.9%) tested positive. Chlamydial infection was found only in infants under 5 months of age, mainly in those aged under 2 months. Three of the infants with C. trachomatis infection were born by cesarean section. Conjunctivitis and eosinophilia had occurred in 33.3% of the cases. Chest X rays were abnormal in 92.0% of cases. There was an association between C. trachomatis infection and the duration of hospitalization exceeding 15 days (p = 0.0398) and oxygen therapy (p = 0.0484). Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of C. trachomatis respiratory infection in the population studied. The infection was associated with a more severe form of the disease, emphasizing the importance of testing pregnant women for this infection to avoid infection in the newborn infant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00217557
- Volume :
- 88
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Jornal de Pediatria
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 84010412
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2223/JPED.2224