Detection of experimental Chlamydia trachomatis eye infection in conjunctival smears and in tissue culture by use of fluorescein-conjugated monoclonal antibody.
The immunofluorescent staining of conjunctival cytology smears with an antichlamydial monoclonal antibody is a new method for the detection of chlamydial eye infection. Using a monkey model of chlamydial eye infection, we compared the monoclonal antibody staining cytology with the established methods of Giemsa-stained cytology and chlamydial culture with cycloheximide-treated McCoy cells. Compared with either culture or monoclonal antibody-stained cytology, Giemsa cytology had a low sensitivity (30 and 24%, respectively) but was highly specific (100% in each case). Compared with culture, monoclonal antibody-stained cytology was highly sensitive (94%) but appeared to lack specificity (70%). However, examination of the changes in identification rates with time suggested that monoclonal antibody-stained cytology may be even more sensitive than culture and detect lower levels of infection. This study showed that monoclonal antibody-stained cytology of conjunctival smears might be a rapid, efficient, and inexpensive method of diagnosing ocular chlamydial infection.
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D001399:Azure Stains; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D014141:Trachoma / Q000175:diagnosis*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001399:Azure Stains