The study aimed to investigate the situation, clinical characteristics and the value of PCR in diagnosis of urogenital chlamydia infection. During 3 months (6/2003-9/2003) we had studied 416 patients with urogenital discharge attending at laboratory department of the National Institute of Dermatology of Vietnam (NIDV). They had been tested for the C.T by using PCR and /or Hexagon (EIA). Results: 94 patients were detected C.T infection, the rate is 22.6%. In which, number of the women is 3.66 times higher than the men. The highest frequency of C.T infection is group of age from 25 to 34, and patients who live in urban. The most common symptom is cervicitis (in female) and urethritis, pain or burning during urenation (in male). PCR was positive in some cases which were negative with Hexagon test.
Chlamydia Infections ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Diagnosis

Chlamydia trachomatis(Ct) infection in reproductive tract is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases at present. However, relatively fewer studies are made on Ct infection in men. The paper reviews the epidemiology of Ct infection in males, Ct infection and male diseases, Ct infection and male infertility, and the detection of Ct infection in men. It aims at providing a theoretical basis and a practical guide for the prevention and control of Ct infection in men.
Chlamydia Infections ; complications ; diagnosis ; Chlamydia trachomatis ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; etiology ; Male ; Prostatitis ; etiology

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome has been defined as perihepatitis accompanying pelvic inflammatory disease caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. In the acute phase, patients usually complain of severe right upper quadrant pain of sudden onset. The pain is sharp, pleuritic and most intense at the level of the right lower rib margin and thus it is frequently confused with acute cholecystitis or pleurisy. Definitive diagnosis of Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome needs invasive procedures such as laparoscopy or laparotomy, but considering that Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome is a benign condition that can be cured by oral administration of appropriate antibiotics, noninvasive diagnosis is desirable. Recently, we have experienced two cases of Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome in acute phase accompanied with sharp and pleuritic right upper quadrant pain. In one case, pelvic inflammatory disease was not definite, so at first we mistook it for acute cholecystitis and reactivation of chronic hepatitis B. In the other case, Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome followed the preceding, typical pelvic inflammatory disease. Both cases were diagnosed noninvasively and treated successfully by oral administration of antibiotics.
Adult ; Chlamydia Infections/*diagnosis ; *Chlamydia trachomatis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gonorrhea/*diagnosis ; Hepatitis/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease/*diagnosis ; Syndrome

Laboratory techniques for diagnosis of C. trachomatis infection are of increasing interest and classified as (1) isolation of the organisms (2) direct demonstration of the organisms and (3) detection of antibodies (serology). The use of microimmunofluorescence test with human serum in diagnosis of present C. trachomatis infection enable us to make diagnostic criteria in nongonococcal urethritis and chronic prostatitis with serotyping of the antibodies. Here we suggest the serological criteria of present C. trachomatis infection by indirect microimmunofluorescence method. 1. The presence of a titer of IgG class (1 : 128) to C. trachomatis strongly suggests an acute infection of C. trachomatis in nongonococcal urethritis. 2. The presence of a titer of IgG class (1 : 512) to C trachomatis strongly suggests an acute infection of C. trachomatis in chronic prostatitis. 3. In Korea, probably G/F type of C. trachomatis is most prevailing and D/E, H, C/J I, K in a row.
Antibodies ; Chlamydia trachomatis* ; Chlamydia* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea ; Male* ; Prostatitis ; Serologic Tests* ; Serotyping* ; Urethritis ; Urinary Tract Infections

OBJECTIVETo establish a gap ligase chain reaction (G-LCR) assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) in neonates with pneumonia.

METHODSA G-LCR DNA amplification assay that targeted the outer major membrane protein gene (omp1) of Ct was developed to detect Ct. The sensitivity and specificity of the G-LCR test was examined by the use of highly purified elementary bodies (EBs). Nasopharyngeal swabs taken from 328 neonates with pneumonia were analyzed by Gap-LCR and cell culture.

RESULTSThe detection limit of G-LCR was 2 EBs. G-LCR could detect five species of Ct and was not cross-reacted with C psittaci and other bacteria. The prevalence of Ct in 328 neonates with pneumonia, using an expanded gold standard of a positive cell culture or two confirmed positive non-culture tests, was 21% (69/328). After analysis of discrepant results, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the G-LCR were 98.6%, 100%, 100% and 99.6%, respectively; whereas those for culture were 86.9%, 100%, 100% and 96.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrated that the G-LCR was a highly sensitive nonculture technique and good alternative test for the detection of chlamydial infections.

Chlamydia Infections ; diagnosis ; microbiology ; Chlamydia trachomatis ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Ligase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Male ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome (FHCS)-inflammation of the liver capsule (Perihepatitis) associated with genital tract infection-occurs in 4~14% of patients with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Generally presenting as sharp, pleuritic right upper quadrant pain, usually but not always accompanied by signs of salpingitis. It needs differential diagnosis such as cholecystitis, pyelonephritis. The pathogenesis of FHCS is incompletely understood. But Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis are thought to be the primary causative germs of FHCS. We make a report about FHCS in 19-year-old woman who had been sexual history recently.
Chlamydia ; Chlamydia Infections ; Chlamydia trachomatis ; Cholecystitis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Liver ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Peritonitis ; Pyelonephritis ; Salpingitis ; Young Adult

We conducted a community-based study of the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in rural and periurban communities in Eastern Highlands Province. We interviewed a stratified random sample of women and men, examined the women for evidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and collected specimens for diagnosis of syphilis, by serology and dark-field microscopy, gonorrhoea, by Gram stain and culture, chlamydial infection, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct immunofluorescence (DIF), trichomoniasis, by wet mount, and bacterial vaginosis, by wet mount and Gram stain. The men were tested for chlamydial infection only (first void urine tested by PCR and DIF). 201 women and 169 men were tested. Additionally, adults in the same communities who had not been randomly selected were offered the same services. An extra 243 women and 85 men were tested in this way. The laboratory results confirmed the clinical impression of an extremely high prevalence of STDs in this population. Among those randomly selected, 46% of the women had trichomonal vaginal infections and 26% had Chlamydia trachomatis infections detected by PCR, while 25% of the men had chlamydial infections. Other infections were much less common. 58% had one or more STDs. The prevalence of infection in self-selected adults was similar to that found in those randomly selected.
Chlamydia Infections - diagnosis ; Chlamydia Infections - epidemiology ; Data Collection ; Papua New Guinea - epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Rural Population ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - epidemiology ; Trichomonas Vaginitis - diagnosis

Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria (PCH) is a rare diagnosis of acquired hemolytic anemia in children, which is caused by a specific cold antibody named Donath-Landsteiner hemolysin. Although various bacteria or viruses were reported as triggering factor of PCH, childhood PCH related to Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is uncommon. The authors report a case of childhood PCH which is related with suspicious Chlamydia pneumoniae infection, with a review of pertinent literature.
Anemia, Hemolytic ; Bacteria ; Child ; Chlamydia Infections ; Chlamydophila pneumoniae ; Diagnosis ; Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo establish a methed of cleavage fragment length polymorphism (CFLP) analysis with a primer labeled at the 5'-end with digoxigenin for genotyping of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct). The methods for detection of Ct by major outer membrane protein (MOMP) gene (ompl) with nested polymerase chain reaction (ompl-nPCR) were studied. The incidence of Ct infection in pregnant women, the common genotypes and vertical transmission rate of Ct in Chongqing area during the past one year was also investigated.

METHODSThe samples were taken from cervical scrapes of parturient women and nasopharygeal swabs of their neonates from April 2003 to Feb. 2004 in Chongqing Women and Children's Health Care Institute. Totally 300 pairs (605 specimens) were detected by using ompl-nPCR, ompl-PCR (inside pair of primers was used directly) and plasmid-PCR. The results were judged by the modified gold standard (MGS). The ompl-nPCR amplified DNA was purified by recovery of DNA from agarose gel electroelution into dialysis bags. The DNA amplified from ompl-nPCR was sequenced by ABI PRISM 377 DNA sequencer. CFLP assay with a primer labeled at the 5'-end with digoxigenin was created for genotyping of Ct, and was primarily applied.

RESULTSThe minimum detectable levels of ompl-nPCR and ompl-PCR corresponded to 2.5 elementary body (EB) and 25 EB, respectively. The sensitivity of ompl-nPCR was 10 times that of ompl-PCR. The positive rate of Ct in the samples from the pregnant women was 11% (33/300). The vertical transmission rate of Ct from mothers to their infants was 24.2% (8/33). The rate of Ct isolated from nasopharyngeal swabs 5 - 10 days after birth was 38.9% (7/18), which was significantly greater than that [3.0% (1/33)] detected within 24 hours after birth (chi(c)(2) = 8.79, P < 0.01). Of the 33 Ct-positive samples from pregnant women, 9 had vaginal delivery and 24 had caesarean section. The vertical transmission rates in vaginal delivery group and caesarean section group were 66.7% (6/9) and 8.3% (2/24), respectively (chi(c)(2) = 9.16, P < 0.01). Incidence of premature rupture of membrane in Ct-positive group was 30.3% (10/33), which was greater than that of Ct-negative groups (13.5%, 36/267, chi(2) = 6.40, P < 0.05). Four different patterns were observed in the 16 Ct-positive samples from 8 pregnant women and 8 matched maternal-infants by using CFLP, which were confirmed by DNA sequencing later. They were type E (3 pairs), type F (2 pairs), type H (2 pairs) and type D (1 pair). Each pair of matched maternal-infantile samples presented identical CFLP pattern.

CONCLUSIONSThis study revealed the infection rate of Ct in pregnant women, vertical transmission rate of Ct and the common genotypes of Ct in Chongqing Women and Children's Health Care Institute. The CFLP assay by using a primer labeled at the 5'-end with digoxigenin was first used for genotyping of Ct. The assay showed a good sensitivity and reproducibility, no radioactive contamination, and is simple. Therefore the assay is a potential new method for Ct genotyping.

Cervix Uteri ; microbiology ; Chlamydia Infections ; diagnosis ; Chlamydia trachomatis ; genetics ; DNA Primers ; Female ; Genes, Bacterial ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as opposed to Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) of Chlamydia trachomatis in cervices of women with genital tract infection. METHODS: Sixty three samples (60 cervical samples and 3 pelvic abscess samples) from sixty women with genital tract infection or lesions such as vaginits, cervicitis, cervical intraepithelial neoplasm (CIN), condyloma accuminata, tuboovarian abscess, preterm labor and premature repture of membranes were tested for Chlamydia trachomatis with PCR and EIA simultaneously. The primers for PCR were for 478 base pairs encoding Chlamydia cryptic plasmid gene RESULTS: Six cases (seven samples) (10%) out of 60 women were positive on PCR while one case (1.7%) was positive on EIA among these women. The positive rate of PCR Chlamydia test according to the diagnosis was as followings; 3 out of 19 cases (15.8%) of cervicitis, 2 out of 5 cases (40%) of CIN, 1 out of 3 cases (33.3%), ol tuboovarian abscess and 1 out of 7 cases (14, 3%) of preterm premature rupture of membranes showed positive Chlamydia test. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic testing of Chlamydia using PCR showed more sensitive for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis compared with EIA in women with genital tract infection. So Chlamydia PCR test is suggested to be valuable in appropriate treatment and prevention of Chlamydia infection especially in women with cervical lesions and pelvic inflammatory disease.
Abscess ; Base Pairing ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Chlamydia Infections ; Chlamydia trachomatis* ; Chlamydia* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Membranes ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Plasmids ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Pregnancy ; Reproductive Tract Infections ; Rupture ; Uterine Cervicitis