Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2001, p. 829-835, Vol. 39, No. 3
Division of Public Health, Municipal Health
Service of Amsterdam, 1018 WT Amsterdam,1
and National Institute of Public Health and the Environment
3720 BA Bilthoven,2 The Netherlands
Received 3 April 2000/Returned for modification 5 July
2000/Accepted 15 December 2000
Two assays for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis
and Neisseria gonorrhoeae were compared: the LCx
Probe system (the LCx system; Abbott Diagnostic Laboratories,
North Chicago, Ill.) and the COBAS AMPLICOR C. trachomatis/N. gonorrhoeae system (the COBAS AMPLICOR system;
Roche Diagnostic Systems, Branchburg, N.J.). Endocervical swab
specimens, male urethral swab specimens, and female and male urine
specimens were collected from 503 female and 498 male visitors
attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in Amsterdam, The
Netherlands. Prevalences for C. trachomatis were 12.5% (63 of 503) and 10.0% (50 of 498) in females and males, respectively. The
prevalences for N. gonorrhoeae were 1.2% (6 of 503) and
4.2% (21 of 498) in females and males, respectively. Both assays
showed high values for sensitivity and specificity with regard to the
detection of C. trachomatis in endocervical swab specimens,
male urethral swab specimens, and female and male urine specimens. The
sensitivities for the LCx system were 92.1, 90.0, 88.9, and 94.0% for
each type of specimen, respectively; and the sensitivies for the COBAS
AMPLICOR system were 96.8, 98.0, 82.5, and 92.0% for each type of
specimen, respectively. Specificities ranged between 98.4 and 100%.
The sensitivity of the LCx system for the detection of N. gonorrhoeae was 100% for female cervical swab and urine
specimens and male urethral swab specimens, while for male urine
specimens the sensitivity was 95.2%; the specificity was 100% for all
types of specimens. For the detection of N. gonorrhoeae by
the COBAS AMPLICOR assay, the sensitivity for female cervical swab and
male urethral swab specimens was 100%, that for female urine specimens
was 66.7%, and that for male urine specimens was 95.2%. However, the
predictive values of a positive test for female cervical swab specimens
and urine specimens were 31.6 and 36.4%, respectively. Sequence
analysis of the amplimers obtained by an in-house 16S rRNA PCR of the
solely COBAS AMPLICOR system-positive swab specimens revealed neither
N. gonorrhoeae nor other Neisseria spp. The
COBAS AMPLICOR assay was considered not suitable for screening for
infections with N. gonorrhoeae. If this assay is used for
detection of N. gonorrhoeae, confirmation of positive results by a reliable test is mandatory.
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.3.829-835.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Comparison between the LCx Probe System and the
COBAS AMPLICOR System for Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis
and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infections in Patients
Attending a Clinic for Treatment of Sexually Transmitted
Diseases in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
*
Corresponding author. Present address: Academic
Hospital Dijkzigt Rotterdam, Department of Virology, Dr. Molewaterplein
40, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-10-4633431. Fax: 31-10-4633441. E-mail: vandoornum{at}viro.azr.nl.
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