Use of polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in ocular and nasopharyngeal specimens from infants with conjunctivitis.
BACKGROUND
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common identifiable infectious cause of neonatal conjunctivitis. Nonculture tests including enzyme immunoassays and direct fluorescent antibody tests have been shown to perform well for the diagnosis of chlamydial conjunctivitis with sensitivities and specificities > or = 90%. However, the performance with respiratory specimens has been less than satisfactory.


METHODS
We compared a new, commercially available polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, Roche AMPLICOR (Roche Diagnostic Systems, Branchburg, NJ) with culture for the detection of C. trachomatis in conjunctival and nasopharyngeal specimens from infants with conjunctivitis. We also evaluated AMPLICOR for the detection of C. trachomatis in the urine of mothers of positive infants.


RESULTS
Ocular and nasopharyngeal specimens from 75 infants with conjunctivitis were obtained for culture and PCR. AMPLICOR was equivalent to culture for eye specimens and more sensitive than culture for nasopharyngeal specimens. The sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of PCR compared with culture for conjunctival specimens were 92.3, 100, 100 and 98.4%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values for nasopharyngeal specimens were 100, 97.2, 60 and 100%, respectively. We also detected C. trachomatis by PCR in the urine of 12 mothers of culture positive infants.


CONCLUSIONS
PCR performed comparably to culture for detection of C. trachomatis in conjunctival and nasopharyngeal specimens from infants with conjunctivitis.
Hammerschlag
M R
MR
Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York Health Science Science Center at Brooklyn 11203-2098, USA. mhammerschlag@mem.po.com
Roblin
P M
PM
Gelling
M
M
Tsumura
N
N
Jule
J E
JE
Kutlin
A
A
D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission / Q000652:urine; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003235:Conjunctivitis, Inclusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission / Q000652:urine; D005123:Eye / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000652:urine; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity