Detection of circulating antigens of Chlamydia trachomatis by counterimmunoelectrophoresis.

An increasing number of reports on Chlamydia trachomatis pneumonia in infancy has recently been published in the literature. The demonstration of the etiologic agent depends, however, on laborious culture procedures and serological techniques. Based on the observation of a cross-reaction between certain Acinetobacter species and chlamydiae, the detection of chlamydial antigens in sera of 5 infants with distinctive clinical features of a pneumonia due to Chlamydia trachomatis was performed with antisera to Acinetobacter by the counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) technique.