title: Improved isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis from a low-prevalence population by using polyethylene glycol.
abstract: The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis was evaluated in our laboratory. Initial range-finding experiments demonstrated that the number of chlamydial inclusion bodies increased with increasing PEG concentrations. However, PEG concentrations above 10.5% became progressively more toxic to the McCoy cell monolayers. When 50 frozen clinical Chlamydia isolates were inoculated onto McCoy cell cultures with and without 7% PEG, the PEG-treated cultures produced three- to fivefold more chlamydial inclusions than cultures without PEG. This enhancement was also observed when 1,144 fresh clinical specimens from a low-prevalence population were tested. With fresh clinical specimens, PEG-treated cultures produced two- to sixfold more inclusions than standard cultures. The addition of 7% PEG to the chlamydial overlay medium significantly increased the number of inclusions in each culture, improved the sensitivity of the culture, and decreased the probability of missing a weakly positive specimen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073-6769.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Egerer
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wiedbrauk
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D011092:Polyethylene Glycols