Effect of swab type and storage temperature on the isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis from clinical specimens.
We evaluated various swabs for the recovery of Chlamydia trachomatis and found that only 7 of 14 swabs tested resulted in a greater than 50% recovery of organisms. Storage of chlamydial specimens at 4 degrees C for more than 1 day resulted in a rapid loss of viability, whereas freezing of specimens at -70 degrees C resulted in only a marginal decrease in the isolation rate.
D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D013696:Temperature