Comparison of polymerase chain reaction and chlamydiazyme for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in clinical specimens.

An attempt was made to improve laboratory diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis and to validate the Abbott Chlamydiazyme confirmatory test used at present by comparing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure and the Abbott enzyme immunoassay. A total of 275 routine clinical specimens representing a range of positive and negative findings by Chlamydiazyme were retested by PCR. The procedures demonstrated 99% concordance for specimens with optical density (OD) readings above the Chlamydiazyme cut-off of 0.1, but PCR was confirmed to be significantly more sensitive (p less than 0.025) for specimens with OD values between 0.05 and 0.09. Specimens in this range should be retested routinely by PCR.