TY - JOUR
T1 - Distribution of Chlamydia trachomatis ompAgenotypes over three decades in Portugal
AU - Lodhia, Zohra
AU - Cordeiro, Dora
AU - Correia, Cristina
AU - João, Inês
AU - Carreira, Teresa
AU - Vieira, Luís
AU - Nunes, Alexandra
AU - Ferreira, Rita
AU - Schäfer, Sandra
AU - Aliyeva, Elzara
AU - Portugal, Clara
AU - Monge, Isabel
AU - Pessanha, Maria Ana
AU - Toscano, Cristina
AU - Côrte-Real, Rita
AU - Antunes, Marília
AU - Gomes, Joao Paulo
AU - Borges, Vítor
AU - Borrego, Maria José
N1 - © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
PY - 2024/9/11
Y1 - 2024/9/11
N2 - Objectives Chlamydia trachomatis is classified into 15 major genotypes, A to L3, based on the diversity of ompA gene. Here, we evaluated and characterised the distribution and diversity of ompA-genotypes over 32 years (1990–2021) in Portugal. Methods The collection of the Portuguese National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections includes 5824 C. trachomatis-positive samples that were successfully ompA-genotyped between 1990 and 2021. An in-depth analysis of ompA-genotypes distribution across the years, as well as by biological sex, age and anatomical site of infection was performed. Results ompA-genotype E was consistently the most frequently detected across the years, with a median frequency of 34.6%, followed by D/Da (17.6%), F (14.3%) and G (10.7%). The prevalence of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) genotypes (mostly L2, 62.0%, followed by L2b, 32.1%) increased since 2016, reaching the highest value in 2019 (20.9%). LGV, G and Da genotypes were associated with biological sex, specifically with being male, and were the most frequent among anorectal specimens (37.7%, 19.4% and 17.7%, respectively). Notably, LGV ompA-genotypes represented 38.9% of the male anorectal specimens since 2016, and were also detected among oropharynx and urogenital samples. ompA-genotype E was the most frequently detected at the oropharynx (28.6%) and urogenital (33.9%) sites during the study period, followed by D/ Da (17.4%) and F (16.0%) in the urogenital specimens, and by G (26.1%) and D/Da (25.7%) in oropharynx specimens. Our data also highlight the emergence of the recombinant L2b/D-Da strain since 2017 (representing between 2.0% and 15.5% of LGV cases per year) and the non-negligible detection of ompA-genotype B in urogenital and anorectal specimens. Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive landscape of C. trachomatis molecular surveillance in Portugal, highlighting the continued relevance of ompA-genotyping as a complement to rapid LGV-specific detection tests. It also contributes to a deeper understanding of C. trachomatis epidemiology, diversity and pathogenicity.
AB - Objectives Chlamydia trachomatis is classified into 15 major genotypes, A to L3, based on the diversity of ompA gene. Here, we evaluated and characterised the distribution and diversity of ompA-genotypes over 32 years (1990–2021) in Portugal. Methods The collection of the Portuguese National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections includes 5824 C. trachomatis-positive samples that were successfully ompA-genotyped between 1990 and 2021. An in-depth analysis of ompA-genotypes distribution across the years, as well as by biological sex, age and anatomical site of infection was performed. Results ompA-genotype E was consistently the most frequently detected across the years, with a median frequency of 34.6%, followed by D/Da (17.6%), F (14.3%) and G (10.7%). The prevalence of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) genotypes (mostly L2, 62.0%, followed by L2b, 32.1%) increased since 2016, reaching the highest value in 2019 (20.9%). LGV, G and Da genotypes were associated with biological sex, specifically with being male, and were the most frequent among anorectal specimens (37.7%, 19.4% and 17.7%, respectively). Notably, LGV ompA-genotypes represented 38.9% of the male anorectal specimens since 2016, and were also detected among oropharynx and urogenital samples. ompA-genotype E was the most frequently detected at the oropharynx (28.6%) and urogenital (33.9%) sites during the study period, followed by D/ Da (17.4%) and F (16.0%) in the urogenital specimens, and by G (26.1%) and D/Da (25.7%) in oropharynx specimens. Our data also highlight the emergence of the recombinant L2b/D-Da strain since 2017 (representing between 2.0% and 15.5% of LGV cases per year) and the non-negligible detection of ompA-genotype B in urogenital and anorectal specimens. Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive landscape of C. trachomatis molecular surveillance in Portugal, highlighting the continued relevance of ompA-genotyping as a complement to rapid LGV-specific detection tests. It also contributes to a deeper understanding of C. trachomatis epidemiology, diversity and pathogenicity.
KW - bacterial typing techniques
KW - Chlamydia trachomatis
KW - lymphogranuloma venereum
KW - molecular epidemiology
KW - molecular typing
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2024-056166
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85204245244&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/sextrans-2024-056166
DO - 10.1136/sextrans-2024-056166
M3 - Article
C2 - 39266216
SN - 1368-4973
JO - Sexually Transmitted Infections
JF - Sexually Transmitted Infections
M1 - sextrans-2024-056166
ER -