Microbial Pathogens Implicated in Reproductive Health Infections in a Special Treatment Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: The lack of adequate recognition of health importance of non-HIV reproductive health infections (RHIs) in Nigeria has led into this study, which was to determine clinical pathogens in non-HIV RHI in Nigeria using a tertiary health facility as case study. Materials and Methods: A nine-year investigation was carried out between 1997 and 2005 on 4047 (n = 1626 males; n = 2421 females) patients presenting at Special Treatment Clinic (STC) of University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Nigeria. Routine laboratory procedures using appropriate culture media, culture conditions, and current phenotypic taxonomic tools for classification of isolated pathogens were employed. Results: Age (p = 0.019) and gender (p<0.0001) were related to the recovery rates of pathogens Candida species (55.6 %), Neisseria gonorrhoae (11.1%), Gardenella vaginalis (10.3%), Escherichia coli (9.2 %), Klebsiella sp. (4.2%), streptococci (4.0%), Staphylococcus aureus (2.3%), Proteus sp., (1.8%), Haemophilus ducreyi (0.5%), Trichomonas vaginalis (0.44%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (0.18%). Candida and Gardenella vaginalis species were mostly recovered from female patients, while N.gonorrhoeae were mostly isolated from male patients. Age brackets for the recovery of pathogens were Neisseria gonorrhoeae (16-30 years); Gardenella vaginalis (21-25 and 31-35 years) and C.albicans (21-30 years). Conclusion: Candida, Neisseria gonorrhoea and Gadrenella vaginalis were the most recovered pathogens from patients presenting at Special Treatment Clinic of a tertiary health institution in Nigeria, and the relationship between age, gender and the aetiological agents was statistically significant.

Keywords

• Age
• Gender
• Health policies
• Reproductive health infections
• Sexually transmissible infections