Use of chlamydiazyme for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in genital infections

48 endocervical specimens from women with cervicitis and 82 urethral specimens from men with urethritis were investigated for the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis by either the cell culture method or enzyme immunoassay (Chlamydiazyme, Abbott Laboratories). The overall sensitivity and specificity of Chlamydiazyme assay were 84.6% and 95.2% respectively. This study shows that Chlamydiazyme assay is a quite sensitive and specific tool for a rapid and simple detection of chlamydial antigens in genital samples.