Genotyping of Chlamydia trachomatis from endocervical specimens in Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of Chlamydia trachomatisgenotypes in Shiraz, Iran. Two hundred twelve cervical swab samples were collected from women attendingShahid Motahari Polyclinic in Shiraz, Iran. The endocervical specimens were screened for C. trachomatis byplasmid PCR. Genotyping was performed in C. trachomatis-positive samples by nested PCR amplificationand sequencing of 571 fragment encompassing VD1 and VD2 of omp1 gene. The overall prevalence rate ofC. trachomatis in endocervical specimens determined by plasmid nested PCR was 8%. The deduced serovarsfound, in descending order of prevalence, were F (46.6%), E (33.3%), and D (13.3%), and serovar G wasfound in a single sample. Sequence mutation analysis by BLAST search against GenBank referencesequences identified 4 genetic variants. This study can be considered a contribution to increasing knowledgeon C. trachomatis genotype distribution and sequence variations within each genotype in Shiraz. Furtherstudies are needed to better define molecular epidemiology of C. trachomatis serovars and to investigate itsgenotype variations in Iran.