Comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile women

Introduction: Chlamydia antibody testing (CAT) in serum has been introduced as a screening method in the infertility workup. We evaluated the test characteristics of two ELISA tests compared to micro-immunofluorescence tests (MIFs).  MIFs are considered the gold standard in the C. trachomatis IgG a...

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Main Authors: Claude Muvunyi, Laurens Claeys, Tineka De Sutter, Petra De Sutter, Marleen Temmerman, Lieve Van Renterghem, Geert Claeys, Elizaveta Padalko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2011-11-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1740
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author Claude Muvunyi
Laurens Claeys
Tineka De Sutter
Petra De Sutter
Marleen Temmerman
Lieve Van Renterghem
Geert Claeys
Elizaveta Padalko
author_facet Claude Muvunyi
Laurens Claeys
Tineka De Sutter
Petra De Sutter
Marleen Temmerman
Lieve Van Renterghem
Geert Claeys
Elizaveta Padalko
author_sort Claude Muvunyi
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Chlamydia antibody testing (CAT) in serum has been introduced as a screening method in the infertility workup. We evaluated the test characteristics of two ELISA tests compared to micro-immunofluorescence tests (MIFs).  MIFs are considered the gold standard in the C. trachomatis IgG antibodies detection. We also compared the accuracy of all CAT tests in predicting tubal subfertility, using laparoscopy as a reference. Methodology: Four commercial serological methods were used to analyse 101 serum samples for the presence of C. trachomatis IgG antibodies from patients at the Infertility Clinic of Ghent University Hospital. The diagnostic utility for prediction of tubal infertility of serological methods was evaluated based on patients' medical records. Results: A comparison of the serological assays showed  little difference  in the major performance characteristics: the sensitivities of all MIFs and ELISAs were 100% for all assays (except the ELISA Vircell, with a sensitivity of 90%), and the specificities ranged from 92% for MIF Ani Labsystems to 98% for the MIF Focus and ELISA Vircell. As compared to laparoscopy data, CAT positivity in subfertile women with tubal damage (n=40) did not significantly differ from that of subfertile women without tubal damage (n=61): Positive predictive values (PPV) of CAT ranged from 53% to 60% and negative predictive values (NPV) ranged from 62% to 64%.  Conclusion: evaluated ELISAs are comparable to MIFs in the detection of C. trachomatis IgG antibodies and should be preferred for large serological studies, especially in resource poor settings.
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publishDate 2011-11-01
publisher The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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spelling doaj-art-a8f8c7d8bbb34d85a4a8f12b27bb1bd32025-08-20T02:27:20ZengThe Journal of Infection in Developing CountriesJournal of Infection in Developing Countries1972-26802011-11-0160510.3855/jidc.1740Comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile womenClaude Muvunyi0Laurens Claeys1Tineka De Sutter2Petra De Sutter3Marleen Temmerman4Lieve Van Renterghem5Geert Claeys6Elizaveta Padalko7Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, BelgiumGhent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, BelgiumGhent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, BelgiumGhent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, BelgiumGhent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, BelgiumGhent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, BelgiumGhent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, BelgiumGhent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium Introduction: Chlamydia antibody testing (CAT) in serum has been introduced as a screening method in the infertility workup. We evaluated the test characteristics of two ELISA tests compared to micro-immunofluorescence tests (MIFs).  MIFs are considered the gold standard in the C. trachomatis IgG antibodies detection. We also compared the accuracy of all CAT tests in predicting tubal subfertility, using laparoscopy as a reference. Methodology: Four commercial serological methods were used to analyse 101 serum samples for the presence of C. trachomatis IgG antibodies from patients at the Infertility Clinic of Ghent University Hospital. The diagnostic utility for prediction of tubal infertility of serological methods was evaluated based on patients' medical records. Results: A comparison of the serological assays showed  little difference  in the major performance characteristics: the sensitivities of all MIFs and ELISAs were 100% for all assays (except the ELISA Vircell, with a sensitivity of 90%), and the specificities ranged from 92% for MIF Ani Labsystems to 98% for the MIF Focus and ELISA Vircell. As compared to laparoscopy data, CAT positivity in subfertile women with tubal damage (n=40) did not significantly differ from that of subfertile women without tubal damage (n=61): Positive predictive values (PPV) of CAT ranged from 53% to 60% and negative predictive values (NPV) ranged from 62% to 64%.  Conclusion: evaluated ELISAs are comparable to MIFs in the detection of C. trachomatis IgG antibodies and should be preferred for large serological studies, especially in resource poor settings. https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1740antibodyChlamydia trachomatisserologysubfertility
spellingShingle Claude Muvunyi
Laurens Claeys
Tineka De Sutter
Petra De Sutter
Marleen Temmerman
Lieve Van Renterghem
Geert Claeys
Elizaveta Padalko
Comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile women
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
antibody
Chlamydia trachomatis
serology
subfertility
title Comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile women
title_full Comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile women
title_fullStr Comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile women
title_full_unstemmed Comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile women
title_short Comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile women
title_sort comparison of four serological assays for the diagnosis of chlamydia trachomatis in subfertile women
topic antibody
Chlamydia trachomatis
serology
subfertility
url https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1740
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