Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in women of the Czech Republic armed forces.

Abstract

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a serious health problem with global impact, more prominently in women. Their prevalence is increasing, and the preventive measure options are not being sufficiently innovated. The military environment is historically characterized by a higher incidence of STIs. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in order to analyze prevalence of common STIs in women of the Czech Republic armed forces.

Material and methods: Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) detection was performed in 231 women between August 2020 and December 2023. Participants were divided into three groups according to their military status. Group A - recruits (n = 84), Group B - active soldiers (n = 43) and Group C - control civilian group (n = 104). Cervical smears were used to diagnose pathogens and data evaluating medical history and the occurrence of risk factors in women were obtained using a detailed questionnaire.

Results: Ch. trachomatis prevalence was 6.0% (5/84) in group A, 2.3% (1/43) in group B and 2.9% (3/104) in group C. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p = 0.601). No case of N. gonorrhoeae was recorded across the study (0/231). Regarding known STI factors, the groups differed significantly in age. The median age in group A was 26 years while it was 29 years in groups B and C similarly (p < 0.001). There was also significant in-between-groups difference in age of coitarche 16.0 vs. 16.0 vs. 17.0 years (p = 0,015). Women from group A reported more frequent absence from regular pap-smear attendance compared to other groups (12.0% vs. 16.3% vs. 3.9%) (p = 0.032).

Conclusion: This study did not show any significant difference in prevalence of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae in females of the Czech Republic Armed Forces compared to civilian women. Higher prevalence of selected STIs' risk factors were reported in recruits and active soldiers compared to civilian women. Although not conclusively, shown findings should be considered a reason to foster the research on STIs in the military environment and to enhance preventive measures among women in the armed forces to limit impact of known STIs' risk factors.