Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-m9pkr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-09T07:44:40.981Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The detection of Chlamydia trachomatis by direct immunofluorescence in conjunctival smears from patients with trachoma and patients with ophthalmia neonatorum using a conjugated monoclonal antibody

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

D. C. W. Mabey  and
S. Booth-Mason
D. C. W. Mabey
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Laboratories, Fajara, The Gambia
S. Booth-Mason
Affiliation:
Moorfields Eye Hospital, London
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Duplicate specimens were taken with cotton-wool swabs from the upper tarsal conjunctiva of 63 patients living in Gambian villages in which trachoma is endemic and from 34 infants with ophthalmia neonatorum (ON) attending an outpatient clinic in The Gambia. The detection of Chlamydia trachomatis by direct immunofluorescence (IF) using a conjugated monoclonal antibody to its principal outer membrane protein was compared with isolation in cycloheximide-treated McCoy cells. For trachoma, the sensitivity and specificity of the immunofluorescent technique were 62% and 100% respectively if ten elementary bodies (EBs) was taken as the minimum requirement for positivity by IF. If all cases with one or more EB were considered positive, the sensitivity was 81% and the specificity 85%. For ON the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 95% respectively, regardless of which criterion was used. In view of its simplicity and easy applicability to field conditions it seems likely that direct IF using monoclonal antibodies may be a useful technique for the detection of C. trachomatis in the conjunctival epithelium of patients with trachoma.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 96 , Issue 1 , February 1986 , pp. 83 - 87
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

References

REFERENCES

Darougar, S. & Jones, B. R. (1971). Conjunctival swabbing for the isolation of TRIC agent (Chlamydia). British Journal of Ophthalmology 55, 585–590.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Darougar, S., Treharne, J. D., Dwyer, R. St. C., Kinnison, J. R. & Jones, B. R. (1971). Isolation of TRIC agent (Chlamydia) in irradiated McCoy cell cultures from endemic trachoma in field studies in Iran. British Journal of Ophthalmology 55, 591–599.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dawson, C. R., Jones, B. R. & Tarizzo, M. L. (1981). Guide to Trachoma Control in Programmes for the Prevention of Blindness. Geneva: World Health Organisation.Google Scholar
Jones, B. R. (1974). Laboratory tests for chlamydial infection, Their role in epidemiological studies of trachoma and its control. British Journal of Ophthalmology 58, 438–454.Google Scholar
Mabey, D. C. W. & Whittle, H. C. (1982). Genital and neonatal chlamydial infection in a trachoma endemic area. Lancet ii, 330–301.Google Scholar
Ruijs, G., Kraai, E. J., Van Voorst Vander, P. C., Schirm, J. & Schroder, F. P. (1984). Rapid detection with monoclonal antibodies of Chlamydia trachomatis in urethral smears and urine sediments. Lancet i, 960–961.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schachter, J. S., Dawson, C. R., Hoshiwara, I., Daghfous, T. & Banks, J. (1978). The use of cycloheximide-treated cells for isolating trachoma agent under field conditions. Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 56, 629–632.Google ScholarPubMed
Sowa, S., Sowa, J., Collier, L. H. & Blyth, W. (1965). Trachoma and allied infections in a Gambian village. Medical Research Council Special Report Series, 308.Google Scholar
Tam, M. R., Stamm, W. E., Handsfield, H. H., Stephens, R., Kuo, C-C., Holmes, K. K., Ditzenberger, K., Krieger, M. & Nowinski, R. C. (1984). Culture-independent diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis using monoclonal antibodies. New England Journal of Medicine 310, 1146–1150.Google Scholar
Taylor, H. R., Agarwala, N. & Johnson, S. L. (1984). Detection of experimental Chlamydia trachomatis eye infections in conjunctival smears and in tissue culture by use of fluorescein conjugated monoclonal antibody. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 20, 391–395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, H. R., Rapoza, P. A., Kiessling, L. A. & Quinn, T. C. (1984). Rapid detection of Chlamydia trachomatis with monoclonal antibodies. Lancet ii, 38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, B. J., Evans, R. T., Hawkins, D. A. & Taylor-Robinson, D. (1984). Sensitivity of detecting Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies in smears by use of fluorescein labelled monoclonal antibody: comparison with conventional chlamydial isolation. Journal of Clinical Pathology 37, 812–816.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed