OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the frequency of sexually transmitted infections among women of reproductive age in a rural hospital in Sierra Leone.

METHODS

This retrospective cross-sectional database study included vaginal and endocervical swabs from 104 women of childbearing age (March 2023-March 2024) in Masanga Teaching Hospital, rural Sierra Leone. Samples were screened by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (eazyplex STD complete) for , and Demographic and medical data were obtained from medical records.

RESULTS

The median age was 26 years (range: 21-33 years). HIV status was available for 84 women, of whom nine (11%) were HIV-positive. Of the 75 women with clinical information available, 73 (97%) were symptomatic. Vaginal discharge (n = 66 of 75, 88%) was the most frequently reported symptom. Tests were positive for at least one target organism in the test panel in 54 of 104 cases (52%). was most often detected (n = 47 of 104, 45% followed by (n = 18 of 104, 17%) and (n = 3 of 104, 3%), whereas and were positive in one (1%) sample each. was not detected.

CONCLUSIONS

The detection of obligate sexually transmitted infections pathogens (i.e. ; n = 5 of 104, 5%) was rare in our study population and setting.