[New "chlamydia" isolation methods applied to the current medical practice and epidemiology (author's transl)]. / Adaptation à la pratique médicale courante et à l'épidémiologie des nouvelles méthodes d'isolement des Chlamydia.

From 935 men attending a consultation for veneral diseases and 117 women suffering from vaginal discharge, 1 052 genito urinary tract specimens were inoculated on monolayers of McCoy cells which were irradiated or treated with either cytochalasin B or 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine. The value of these technics was estimated in routine diagnostic procedures according to the number of positive cultures, regardless of the number of inclusions per culture and also by comparison of the number of inclusions seen in cells inoculated with reference strains of lymphogranuloma venereum, trachoma and human urethral Chlamydia. The best method seems to consist of the use of McCoy cells treated with cytochalasin B for routine isolation and of acridine orange for the staining of inclusions.

[Current methods in the diagnosis of Chlamydia infections]. / Nouvelles méthodes de diagnostic des infections à Chlamydia.

The pathogenicity of Chlamydia species is no longer questioned and most figures indicate that these organisms are the leading cause of sexually transmitted diseases. Diagnosis by direct examination of a stained slide is not acceptable due to inadequate sensitivity. The use of monoclonal antibodies conjugated to ITCF, however, is a good method to detect chlamydial particles. Cultures are made from specimens of heavily infected cells, centrifuged with cells from the McCoy cell line treated with cycloheximide. The inclusions are visualized using immunological techniques (immunofluorescence or staining with a peroxidase-antiperoxidase reaction). By using wells of microplates, this method is less expensive and can also be used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Serology (by MIF or ELISA) is very helpful, especially to investigate complications originating from a lower genital tract infection. Both techniques are useful in routine screening.