Comparison of Pharmacia Chlamydia EIA, IDEIA and Cell Culture in the Detection of Urogenital Chlamydial Infection

Abstract

Two commercial test kits, Pharmacia Chlamydia EIA (PhEIA) and IDEIA Chlamydia Test, for the identification of Chlamydia trachomatis and McCoy cell culture were compared in urogenital specimens. The sediments of the transportation buffers of specimens with discordant results were investigated for elementary bodies (EB) with fluorescein-labelled antichlamydial antibodies. The prevalence of chlamydial infection among the men was 16% (48 of 293), 47 culture positive and one EB positive, and among the women 10% (10 of 97), 10 culture positive. In men, the sensitivity of PhEIA, IDEIA and culture was 71%, 40% and 98%, respectively. In women, irrespective of site, corresponding figures were 100%, 80% and 100%. The specificity and positive predictive values were 100% for both enzyme immunoassays in men and women. The low sensitivity of IDEIA could not be explained by the degree of infection as measured by the number of inclusion bodies in cell culture, the presence of antigen as measured by the number of EBs or the sampling order.