title: Comparison between cell culture and serology for detecting Chlamydia trachomatis in women seeking abortion.
abstract: The efficiency of an immunoperoxidase serological assay and culture of Chlamydia trachomatis were compared in 127 women seeking first trimester abortion. Serum IgG and IgA antibodies specific for C trachomatis were detected by a single serovar (L2) inclusion immunoperoxidase assay (IPA). Eighty (63%) women were seropositive for chlamydial IgG and 31 (24%) for IgA antibodies. C trachomatis was isolated from 21 of 127 (17%) women. Twenty of the 80 women (25%) seropositive for specific IgG antibodies and one of 47 (2%) patients without these antibodies were culture positive (p less than 0.001). Compared with isolation, chlamydial antibodies at a titre of greater than or equal to 16 showed high sensitivity and negative predictive value (95% and 98%, respectively), but low specificity and efficiency (43% and 52%, respectively). Chlamydial IgA antibodies at a titre of greater than or equal to 8 showed low sensitivity (52%), but a higher specificity, negative predictive value, and efficiency of 81%, 90%, and 76%, respectively. C trachomatis IgG antibodies at a titre of 16 as determined by IPA can be used as an efficient negative exclusion marker for active chlamydial infection in screening women seeking abortion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Vest-Agder Central Hospital, Kristiansand, Norway.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Csángó
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sarov
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schiøtz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sarov
mesh_terms: D000023:Abortion Applicants; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G