Prevalence of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Urogenital Tract Infections Among Patients with Infertility in Nablus, Palestine: Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae urogenital tract infections among patients attending a gynecology clinic and infertility centers in Nablus city in Palestine. Vaginal swabs and semen specimens were collected from 238 patients attending gynecology and infertility centers in Nablus city in Palestine. N. gonorrhoeae presence was examined in all specimens by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in 163 (68.5%) specimens by selective GC agar culture. Among the examined specimens, PCR was positive in 2 specimens, while GC culture was negative in all 163 examined specimens, including the 2 PCR-positive cases. The prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae among the fertile group (1.1%) was close to that of the infertile group (0.7%). The history of urinary tract infections (UTIs) among the infertile group (61.1%) was significantly (P=0.000) higher than that (36%) of the fertile group. 97.8% of the infertile males had never used condoms, which was significantly (P=0.001) higher than that (53.3%) among fertile ones. The frequency of use of the seat toilet by infertile individuals (99.3%) was significantly (0.003) higher than that of fertile individuals. The study revealed that PCR was more sensitive than culture in detecting N. gonorrhoeae in clinical samples. There was no significant association between the infertility status and the presence of N. gonorrhoeae infection. Significant association was found between infertility and a number of variables such as history of UTIs, never using condoms, and frequency of using a seated toilet.