High prevalence of silent chlamydia colonization of the tubal mucosa in infertile women.

Thirty-four asymptomatic infertile patients without distal tubal occlusion were prospectively evaluated at laparoscopy for C. trachomatis infection. Samples were collected from the urethra, the cervical canal, the endometrium, the cul-de-sac peritoneal fluid and the endosalpinx. In 8 patients (24%), C. trachomatis was isolated from at least one site. In 6 patients C. trachomatis was isolated from at least one tube, demonstrating the possibility of silent chlamydial colonization of the tubal mucosa in the absence of signs of active pelvic infection.