CHLAMYDIA-PNEUMONIAE

Chlamydia pneumoniae, a fairly recent addition to the genus Chlamydia, has been shown to cause community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonias, and to be a common infectious agent in human populations throughout t he world. It has a wide variety of clinical presentations, and may be associated with ischaemic heart disease. Like other species in the gen us, it is difficult to isolate by cell culture: clinical diagnosis the refore rests on other techniques, each of which presents particular pr oblems. Those discussed in this review are cell culture, antigen detec tion by direct immunofluorescence and enzyme immunoassay, serological methods (exemplified by micro-immunofluorescence) and the polymerase c hain reaction. Currently available treatments and the prospect of vacc ination are also discussed.