H. Talbot et B. Romanowski, FACTORS AFFECTING URINE EIA SENSITIVITY IN THE DETECTION OF CHLAMYDIA-TRACHOMATIS IN MEN, Genitourinary medicine, 70(2), 1994, pp. 101-104
Objective-This study examined the effects of four variables on the det
ection of Chlamydia trachomatis in urine from men by enzyme immunoassa
y (EIA). These variables were: symptoms and signs of urethritis, urine
polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN), inclusion counts from urethral ch
lamydia cell cultures and the time between testing and last voiding. M
ethods-Included were patients with and without symptoms and/or signs o
f attending the Edmonton Transmitted Disease Clinic. Men were asked to
submit a 20 mi volume urine sample. Urethral swabs were collected for
gram stain, chlamydia and gonorrhea culture. Results-A total of 318 m
en were evaluated of whom 47 had chlamydia. Excluding six men who were
coinfected with gonorrhoea, sensitivities and specificities of the Mi
crotrak, Chlamydiazyme and IDEIA systems were 78.1% and 99.6%, 75.6% a
nd 100%, and 80.5% and 97.8% respectively. Last void time did not affe
ct the sensitivity. However, sensitivity was best when applied to men
with severe evidence of urethritis. Conclusion-There is evidence that
urine EIA could be used to detect chlamydia in men with acute urethrit
is but not in those without signs of urethritis.