Serological Evidence of Gonorrhoea among Infertile and Fertile Women in Rural Mozambique

Abstract

One hundred infertile and 200 referent fertile women in Cabo Delgado Province, northern Mozambique, were examined for the demonstration of intracellular diplococci in intracervical smears and tested for gonococcal antibody (GAT). GAT was positive in 76% of infertile and 40% of fertile women (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.9–5.0). Among infertile women 30% had GAT titres >= 640, whilst among fertile women the corresponding proportion was 7/5 (p < 0.0001). Among women with >= 2 lifetime spouses 51% of infertile women were GAT seropositive, whilst the proportion 20% (OR 5.2; 95% CI 2.7–9.8) among fertile women. It is concluded that infertile women constitute a group at high risk of having serologically demonstrable current or previous gonococcal infection. (Afr J Reprod Health 1999; 3 [2]: 102-105)


Key Words: Gonorrhoea, infertility, serology, Mozambique