ABILITY OF COMMERCIAL LIGASE CHAIN-REACTION AND PCR ASSAYS TO DIAGNOSE CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS INFECTIONS IN MEN BY TESTING FIRST-VOID URINE

A total of 287 men (37.6% with symptoms of urethritis) attending a hos pital-based sexually transmitted disease clinic had urethral swabs tes ted by culture and by direct fluorescent-antibody assay. First-void ur ine (FVU) was tested for Chlamydia trachomatis by commercially availab le ligase chain reaction (LCR) and PCR assays. By using an expanded re ference standard, 35 men (12.2%) were found to be positive. By perform ing LCR and PCR, the infection prevalence was found to be approximatel y twice (11.5 and 12.2%, respectively) that determined by swab testing . The sensitivity values were 94.3% for LCR and 100% for PCR. One of t he two positive specimens missed by LCR contained inhibitors. PCR prod uced five false-positive results and LCR produced one.