title: Demonstration of Chlamydia trachomatis in Papanicolaou-stained gynecological smears.
abstract: A fluorescent antibody staining method was developed to detect Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies in Papanicolaou-stained cervical smears. Twenty-five known chlamydia-positive and 12 chlamydia-negative smears were correctly identified using this method. Smears from individuals with culture-positive chlamydia infections showed a high density of elementary bodies. Among 64 routine cervical smears, 27% (6/22) of smears that showed inflammatory changes were positive by fluorescent antibody staining for chlamydia, compared to 2.4% (1/42) of smears that were negative for inflammatory changes. This method should facilitate detection of chlamydia infections in populations undergoing cytological screening.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Unit, Tampere University Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rantala
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kivinen
mesh_terms: D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D006801:Humans; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D002575:Uterine Cervicitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D014626:Vaginal Smears