Detection of chlamydia trachomatis with fluorescent monoclonal antibody

Commercial kits of fluorescein-labelled monoclonal antibody against Chlamydia trachomatis have been evaluated (1) as an alternative to Giemsa staining for detection of chlamydia inclusions in cell culture and (2) for direct detection of chlamydia in conjunctival, urethral and cervical smears. The inclusion detection kit (MicroTrak Culture Confirmation Test) was tested on 270 cultures and was found to be highly sensitive, detecting all 16 Giemsa-positive specimens plus an additional 3 that were negative by Giemsa. It was also superior to Giemsa-staining in terms of simplicity of use, ease of detection, and readability with toxic specimens. The direct detection kit (MicroTrak Direct Specimen Test) gave results which agreed with the culture result for all 33 genital tract specimens and for 32 of 34 conjunctival specimens tested in parallel. The kit is considered to be a valuable test for diagnosis of chlamydial infection by laboratories lacking adequate tissue-culture facilities.