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Failure of serology in diagnosing chlamydial infections of the female genital tract.

ABSTRACT

Chlamydia trachomatis was recoved from 20% (36/180) of women attending a venereal disease clinic. All infected women had chlamydial antibodies in their serum and cervical secretions. However, the background rates of chlamydial antibody in chlamydia-negative women were very high. Measurement of antibodies in serum (complement fixation or immunoglobulin G [IgG] and IgM by microimmunofluorescence) or cervical secretion (IgG, IgM, IgA or secretory IgA classes) did not result in predictive values of greater than 32%. It is concluded that the detection of chlamydial antibodies in serum or cervical secretions cannot be substituted for agent isolation in diagnosing these infections.

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• Land, J.A., Gijsen, A.P., Kessels, A.G.H., Slobbe, M.E.P., Bruggeman, C.A. (2003). Performance of five serological chlamydia antibody tests in subfertile women. Hum Reprod 18: 2621-2627 [Abstract] [Full Text]