Ja. Kellogg et al., IMPROVED PCR DETECTION OF CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS BY USING AN ALTERED METHOD OF SPECIMEN TRANSPORT AND HIGH-QUALITY ENDOCERVICAL SPECIMENS, Journal of clinical microbiology, 33(10), 1995, pp. 2765-2767
Duplicate endocervical swabs were collected for detection of Chlamydia
trachomatis by PCR (Roche Diagnostics). One swab was swirled in Speci
men Transport Medium (Roche) for PCR testing and discarded. A saline a
liquot from the other specimen, sent as a dry swab to the laboratory,
was Papanicolaou stained to determine specimen adequacy, and the remai
nder was PCR tested. Significantly more (24%) PCR-positive results (11
8 versus 95; P < 0.001) were obtained,vith the dry specimens than with
the swirled specimens when first tested. In addition, PCR-positive re
sults were obtained with 107 (10.6%) of 1,007 microscopically adequate
specimens but with only 3 (0.9%) of 341 inadequate specimens (P < 0.0
01).