TITLE:
Chlamydia trachomatis in a girl suspected of sexual abuse in the city of Córdoba, Argentina
AUTHORS:
Ana Ximena Kiguen, Graciela Ochonga, Fernando Venezuela, Marina Monetti, María Celia Frutos, Jessica Mosmann, Cecilia Cuffini
KEYWORDS:
Chlamydia trachomatis; Sexual Abuse; Girl; Argentina
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.3 No.2,
February
12,
2014
ABSTRACT: Chlamydia trachomatis (C.tr)
infections are the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infections
worldwide. They are often asymptomatic and therefore underdiagnosed as there
is no routine screening surveillance. This case supports the possibility of
sexual abuse as a route of transmission of C.tr.
It is well known that nearly one third of sexually assaulted children are at
risk for infection by a sexually transmitted agent. This is why in cases of
sexual abuse, it is standardized that C.tr positive results by Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques (NAATs) should be
confirmed looking for another C.tr target; for this reason, we used a Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) directed to
cryptic plasmid of C.tr. Confirmation
was specified by the use of another PCR with a different genetic target (ompA) and sequencing. We concluded that our patient’s oral lesions were probably
originated by her father’s sexual abuse.