External quality assessment program for Chlamydia trachomatis diagnostic testing by nucleic acid amplification assays.
We report the results from 57 Australian diagnostic laboratories testing two external quality assessment panels using either the Roche Amplicor Chlamydia trachomatis test (R-PCR) or the Abbott LCx Chlamydia trachomatis assay (A-ligase chain reaction [LCR]). Panel samples were either normal urine spiked with Chlamydia trachomatis antigen or clinical urine specimens. There was no significant difference between laboratories or between assays in detection of C. trachomatis-positive clinical samples. Only at the lower limit of detection of the assays did the R-PCR demonstrate increased sensitivity over the A-LCR in the detection of C. trachomatis antigen. However, it was found that single-sample testing could lead to decreased test sensitivity. Detection of the presence of inhibitors of nucleic acid amplification differed between laboratories.
Land
Sally
S
National Serology Reference Laboratory, Australia, St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia. sally@nrl.gov.au
Tabrizi
Sepehr
S
Gust
Anthony
A
Johnson
Elizabeth
E
Garland
Susan
S
Dax
Elizabeth M
EM
D001315:Australia; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D022521:Ligase Chain Reaction; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011786:Quality Control; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology
D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic