Neisseria gonorrhoea, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Treponema pallidum infection in antenatal and gynecological patients at Korle-Bu teaching hospital, Ghana

Five hundred and seventeen women attending the gynecology and obstetrics clinics of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital were examined for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Vaginal swabs were examined for Trichomonas vaginalis, Candida albicans, and Gardnerella vaginalis infection. Endocervical swabs were examined for Neisseria gonorrhoea and Chlamydia trachomatis using a recently developed RNA detection kit. Strain typing was performed to identify serovars of C. trachomatis. Sera were analyzed for Treponema palliduam with a passive-particle agglutination assay kit. The prevalence of infection with N. gonorrhoea was 0.6%. C. trachomatis 3.0%, and T. pallidum 5.6%. Eight samples were PCR-positive for C. trachomatis. Five of these were serovar G, and the rest were serovar E. All cases of mixed infections occurred in pregnant women. In conclusion, a high transmissible risk of T. pallidum infection was observed among our study population and in particular among our pregnant women. The absence of association between the presenting symptoms, clinical findings, and specific pathogens has implications for the syndromic approach to STI case management. The low prevalence of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoea may be due to self medication and requires further research in primary health institutions in rural areas to compare rates.