Evaluation of the polymerase chain reaction in comparison with other diagnostic methods for the detection of Chlamydia psittaci

Various diagnostic methods exist for the detection of Chlamydia psittaci. I n the current study, the test performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR ) was compared with other testing methods used in the diagnosis of C. psitt aci. Tissue and fecal specimens (n = 119) of avian and mammalian origin wer e tested by PCR and one or more of the following methods: cell culture, enz yme-linked immunosorbent assay, and direct fluorescein-conjugated monoclona l antibody staining. Several gold standards, based on results of testing me thods other than PCR, were used to calculate the following test performance characteristics of PCR: sensitivity and specificity, with their 95% confid ence intervals; kappa statistics, a measure of interest agreement; and lamb da statistics, a chance-corrected estimate of the sensitivity and specifici ty. Overall, the test performance characteristics of PCR were low compared with the other testing methods. Possible reasons for the poor test performa nce of PCR in the current study include destruction of the organisms during storage interference with the PCR by other reagents, or technical errors.