Associations of Chlamydia trachomatis serology with fertility-related and pregnancy adverse outcomes in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection has an increased risk for fertility-related and pregnancy adverse outcomes partly due to mechanisms related to a pro-inflammatory response to CT-, or cHSP60-induced delayed hypersensitivity. This study aimed to assess the evidence on the association between CT serology and adverse outcomes. METHODS: PubMed/Medline, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched for observational studies on the association of CT-specific antibodies (e. g. IgG, IgA, IgM, etc.) with infertility, tubal factor infertility (TFIF), ectopic pregnancy (EP), spontaneous abortion (SA), or preterm labor (PL) that were published from database inception to 31 August 2022. Pooled adjusted odds ratios or relative risks with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random effects model. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022368366). FINDINGS: We identified 128 studies that met the inclusion criteria, comprising 87 case–control, 34 cross-sectional and 7 cohort studies, for a total of 167 records involving 128,625 women participants included into the meta-analyses. Based on the adjusted estimates, it was found that CT-specific IgG was significantly associated with TFIF (pooled adjusted OR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.33–3.27, I(2) = 63.8%) or EP (pooled adjusted OR = 3.00, 95% CI 1.66–5.40, I(2) = 93.0%). Analyses of the unadjusted estimates indicated significant associations between CT-specific IgG and infertility, TFIF, EP or SA (four pooled unadjusted ORs ranging between 1.60 and 5.14, I(2) ranging between 40% and 83%); IgA and infertility, TFIF, EP (three pooled unadjusted ORs ranging between 3.64 and 4.91, I(2) ranging between 0% and 74%); IgM and TFIF (pooled unadjusted OR = 5.70, 95% CI 1.58–20.56, I(2) = 56%); or cHSP60 and TFIF (pooled unadjusted OR = 7.83, 95% CI 5.42–11.31, I(2) = 49%). INTERPRETATION: A broad range of CT-specific antibodies have been studied in association with fertility-related and pregnancy adverse outcomes. However, our study identified a low- or moderate-quality evidence for an association of CT serology with the outcomes. There are substantial research gaps in relation to the clinical implications of CT serological biomarkers. FUNDING: The work was supported by the 10.13039/501100019018Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Initiative for Innovative Medicine (2016-I2M-3-021).