Ligase chain reaction for Chlamydia trachomatis detection in urine specimens from symptomatic and asymptomatic men.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the sensitivity and specificity of ligase chain reaction (LCR) for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) in the urine of symptomatic and asymptomatic men.


METHODS
C. trachomatis was detected by LCR in both first-void urine (FVU) and urethral swab cultures from 852 randomly selected male outpatients seeking medical attention for sexually transmitted diseases. In cases with discrepancy between the results yielded by the two methods, a second LCR directed against a gene fragment encoding the major outer membrane protein was performed. The results were evaluated on the basis of an expanded gold standard.


RESULTS
The sensitivity and specificity was 98.6% and 99.4% with LCR, respectively, and was 77.4% and 99.5% with urethral swab culture. The sensitivity of LCR was much higher than that of urethral swab culture P<0.001 . The presence or absence of urethral symptoms did not show any influence on the results.


CONCLUSIONS
LCR is sensitive and specific for detecting C. trachomatis infections, and FVU can be used for non-invading diagnosis and screening of the infection in men.
Peng
Xue-biao
XB
Department of Dermatology, Nanfang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Zeng
Kang
K
D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D022521:Ligase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity