Identification of a Chlamydia trachomatis serovar E urogenital isolate which lacks the cryptic plasmid

Our laboratory recently recovered Chlamydia trachomatis in tissue culture from a urogenital specimen which tested negative by commercial plasmid-based PCR. Immunotyping and omp1 sequencing identified the isolate as a serovar E isolate. Further investigation by PCR and Southern hybridization indicated that this isolate lacks the chlamydial cryptic plasmid.