RAPID DIAGNOSIS OF RESPIRATORY CHLAMYDIA-PNEUMONIAE INFECTION BY NESTED TOUCHDOWN POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION COMPARED WITH CULTURE AND ANTIGEN-DETECTION BY EIA

Chlamydia pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory tract infection and community-acquired pneumonia. During an extensive outbreak of C. p neumoniae in northern Sweden, 319 respiratory samples from 129 persons were collected. Sputum, throat, and nasopharyngeal samples were obtai ned and analyzed by nested touchdown polymerase chain reaction (PCR), EIA, and culture in Hep-2 end McCoy cells. Serology was performed by c omplement fixation and microimmunofluorescence tests. By PCR, 30 patie nts were diagnosed with C. pneumoniae compared with 26 positive by EIA and 23 by culture. The finding of C. pneumoniae in the respiratory sa mples was accompanied by serology indicating acute infection in 26 (96 %) of 27 patients for whom adequate sera were available. Nested PCR wa s sensitive and reliable for diagnosing acute respiratory C. pneumonia e infection. Sputum samples had the highest diagnostic efficacy, and t he nested type of PCR was superior to one-step PCR. EIA and culture we re less sensitive than nested PCR.