Evaluation of a direct fluorescent antibody test for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in endocervical specimens. Brief report.

A total of 160 endocervical specimens collected from 72 symptomatic and 82 asymptomatic women attending a gynecology outpatient clinic were investigated for genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection by the use of tissue culture and DFA test. The infection rate was 42% for symptomatic and 23% for asymptomatic patient groups. The sensitivity rates of the DFA test in the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups were 84% and 75%, while the specificity rates were 89% and 95%, respectively. The DFA test had an overall sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 93%. There was 90% agreement between the two techniques. Therefore, DFA is recommended as an alternative to tissue culture where laboratory facilities are limited and genital chlamydial infections are highly prevalent.

Detection of respiratory syncytial virus in children in the 1993-94 winter season in Izmir, Turkey, by two diagnostic methods.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection was searched for in 65 children between 2 months and 2 years of age hospitalized with the presumptive diagnosis of acute bronchiolitis, and in 35 children aged 6 months to 8 years with upper respiratory tract symptoms, by direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test and cell culture. RSV infection was detected in 29.2% of the first and in 11.4% of the second group. The overall positivity rate was 23%. The sensitivity and the specificity of the commercially available DFA test in comparison with cell culture were 81.8% and 92.5%, respectively.

[Urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections]. / Urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis enfeksiyonlari.

Urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections are the most common sexually transmitted diseases which have shown a significant increase in the last few years. This organism presents a major health problem in many countries. It is recognized as the cause of both complicated and uncomplicated infections in men, women and infants passing through an infected birth canal. Tissue culture is accepted as the gold standard in the diagnosis of chlamydial infections. But, since this technique is expensive and cumbersome, antigen detection tests such as DFA and EIA are more widely used. Tetracyclines and erythromycins are the first-choice antimicrobials in the treatment of chlamydial infections.

[Chlamydia trachomatis in the eyes and sexual partners of women with genital chlamydial infections]. / Genital Klamidya enfeksiyonu saptanan kadinlarin gözlerinde ve cinsel eslerinde Chlamydia trachomatis arastirilmasi.

Conjunctival scrapings from 24 women found to be positive for genital Chlamydia trachomatis previously and urethral swabs from their sexual partners were obtained and processed with direct fluorescent antibody technique. 8.3% of the conjunctival scrapings and 33.3% of the urethral specimens were found positive for C. trachomatis. None of the female patients had ocular complaints or signs of conjunctivitis and only two of the male subjects had urogenital symptoms.

[Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in prostitutes working in a brothel in Izmir]. / Izmir genelevinde çalisan kadinlarda Chlamydia trachomatis arastirilmasi.

Endocervical specimens obtained from 251 registered prostitutes working in a brothel in Izmir, were screened for Chlamydia trachomatis by using a direct fluorescent antibody test. Twenty seven of these specimens were excluded because of inadequate sampling. Of the remaining 224 samples, 57 (25.4%) were found positive for C. trachomatis. It is concluded that, prostitutes play an important role in the transmission of chlamydial and other sexually transmitted diseases, and routine screening and appropriate treatment of chlamydial infections in prostitutes will help to control this disease in the general population.

[Chlamydia trachomatis in conjunctival specimens]. / Konjonktival örneklerde Chlamydia trachomatis arastirilmasi.

One hundred two patients with signs and symptoms of conjunctivitis and 45 asymptomatic subjects were screened for Chlamydia trachomatis using a direct fluorescent antibody test. 26.5% of the symptomatic and 6.6% of the asymptomatic patients were positive for C.trachomatis. The follicular response rate was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the symptomatic group than in the asymptomatic population (48.1% and 29.3% respectively). This finding correlated well with chlamydial conjunctivitis.

Chlamydial infection in infants.

Conjunctival and nasopharyngeal samples were collected from 51 infants aged 1 month-1 year, who have been hospitalized for lower respiratory tract disease which had begun on the 4-12th week of life and has shown recurrences since then. Acute period blood samples were available from 42 of these children. Chlamydia trachomatis antigen was searched for in the conjunctival and nasopharyngeal specimens by a direct fluorescence test (MikroTrak, Syva Co.), and serum anti-chlamydial IgM antibodies were detected by enzyme immunoassay (Sero ELISA Chlamydia, Savyon Diagnostics). Chlamydia trachomatis was detected from at least one site in 20 children, and 15 children were positive for anti-chlamydial IgM antibodies. Serum samples were available in 16 of 20 children who were positive for C. trachomatis antigens, and 12 had IgM antibodies. Three infants who were antigen negative, also had anti-chlamydial antibodies. Whether antigen positive or not, all patients with antichlamydial antibodies were considered to have pneumoniae due to C. trachomatis, and those who had only antigens without any antibodies, to be superficially infected and carry the organism symptomatically or asymptomatically.

Prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae specific antibodies in different clinical situations and healthy subjects in Izmir, Turkey.

Serological markers for Chlamydia pneumoniae were investigated by using the microimmunofluorescence (MIF) test in various age and patient groups in a specific area in Turkey. IgG seropositivity to C. pneumoniae was 64.3% and 18.7% in healthy adults and children, respectively. The highest positivity rate (77%) was in the 15-19 age group. Among the groups investigated, serological findings revealed a possible etiological association between C. pneumoniae and the clinical condition in the groups with acute myocardial infarction, atypical pneumoniae and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.