EVALUATION OF THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTI ON IN THE DETECTION OF CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS IN UROGENITAL SMEARS

A total of 222 urogenital specimens were investigated with a commercia lly available polymerase chain reaction (Amplicor test) for the direct detection of Chlamydia trachomatis. The results were compared with th ose yielded by the conventional cell culture technique. Using cell cul ture a urogenital C. trachomatis infection could be detected in 72 of 222 patients. The Amplicor test yielded a positive result in 83. Refer red to the detection rate of the Amplicor test and that of the cell cu lture, sensitivity was 91.2% for the test sensitivity and 79.1% for th e cell culture. The specificity of both techniques was 100% when the s pecimens for which neither both nor either one of the tests gave posit ive results were considered. In accordance with other studies, this st udy suggests that tests based on nucleic acid amplification will super sede cell cultures as the gold standard for the detection of C. tracho matis and also become the method of choice in routine diagnosis of uro genital chamydial infections.