DETECCIÓN DE PATÓGENOS CAUSANTES DE INFECCIONES DE TRANSMISIÓN SEXUAL POR PCR-MULTIPLEX EN UNA POBLACIÓN DE ITAPÚA, PARAGUAY, DURANTE EL 2021-2022

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a group of infectious clinical conditions caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. They are transmitted through sexual contact, however, they can be acquired through other means of contagion. They are generally asymptomatic. Men and women are predisposed to contracting them. There is a high prevalence of STIs in Paraguay. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to limit their transmission and avoid the consequences they produce. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most sensitive technique and the one most successfully applied in clinical microbiology. In the case of pathogens in particular, which are difficult to grow in vitro or which present slow growth, as well as in the case of all those infections clinically attributable to different agents, PCR has provided great diagnostic value. The objective was to know and estimate the prevalence and incidence of the most frequent pathogens that cause STIs by molecular biology using real-time PCR in vaginal or urethral swab and urine samples in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in the Department of Itapúa, Paraguay, between 2021 and 2022. 67 samples were processed using molecular diagnostic methods from May 2021 to September 2022. First, the procedure for extracting and purifying the genetic material of the samples was carried out. Then, the detection of 12 different pathogens was carried out by Multiplex Real-Time PCR. To prepare the report and organize the data obtained, the RH Positive Laboratory database was used, considering the presence of one or more of the 12 pathogens as detectable and the absence of these as not detectable. The samples were tabulated taking into account the variables, sex, age and presence of one or more pathogens. An association was made between the presence of STIs with age and sex. Of all the samples processed and analyzed, one or more of the 12 pathogens studied were detected in 86%. In 47.76% of the patients with STIs, co-infection with two or more pathogens was detected, in which Gardnerella vaginalis and Ureaplasma parvum were most frequently present with 29.8% and 12.3% respectively. In the percentage of the population studied according to sex; 67% were male, of which 73.33% had some STI and 33% were female, 82% had some STI. Gardnerella vaginalis was the pathogen that was present with approximately the same percentage of frequency in both sexes, 53% in men and 47% in women. The average age of individuals with some STI in this study was 20-40 years. Taking into account the background and the results obtained, it is concluded that this technique is one of the most sensitive and specific in STIs for routine control, highlighting its minimally invasive procedure for obtaining the sample. A proposal can be evaluated at a regional level to implement this technique as an early diagnostic protocol in public health services.