Rapid presumptive diagnosis of gonococcal cervicitis by the limulus lysate assay

In an evaluation of the limulus lysate assay (LLA) as a method for detecting gonococcal endotoxin in cervical exudates diluted 1:800, positive LLA results were obtained from 17 of 18 patients (94%) with culture-proved gonococcal cervicitis, and negative results were obtained from 22 of 22 patients (100%) with culture-negative specimens. In vitro tests comparing the sensitivity of the LLA for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and other gram-negative organisms showed the LLA to be more sensitive in detecting N. gonorrhoeae (minimum sensitivity, 10(4) organisms per milliliter) than other commonly encountered urogenital gram-negative bacteria (minimum sensitivity, greater than 10(5) organisms per milliliter). Thus, in preliminary studies involving otherwise healthy women, the LLA appeared to correlate with bacteriologic methods for diagnosing gonococcal cervicitis and may aid in identifying nongonococcal cervicitis. In addition, the LLA was easy to perform, with test results available within an hour after the patient's initial examination.