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Comparison of five commercial serological tests for the detection of anti-Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies

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Abstract

Screening for Chlamydia trachomatis-specific antibodies is valuable in investigating recurrent miscarriage, tubal infertility and extrauterine pregnancy. We compared here the performance of immunofluorescence (IF) to four other commercial tests in detecting IgG antibodies directed against C. trachomatis: two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) as the antigen, commercialised respectively by Medac and R-Biopharm (RB), one ELISA using the chlamydial heat shock protein 60 (cHSP60) as the antigen (Medac), as well as a new automated epifluorescence immunoassay (InoDiag). A total of 405 patients with (n = 251) and without (n = 154) miscarriages were tested by all five tests. The prevalence of C. trachomatis-specific IgG antibodies as determined by the IF, cHSP60-Medac, MOMP-Medac, MOMP-RB and InoDiag was 14.3, 23.2, 14.3, 11.9 and 26.2%, respectively. InoDiag exhibited the highest sensitivity, whereas MOMP-RB showed the best specificity. Cross-reactivity was observed with C. pneumoniae using IF, MOMP-RB and InoDiag, and Parachlamydia acanthamoebae using the cHSP60 ELISA test. No cross-reactivity was observed between C. trachomatis and the other Chlamydiales (Neochlamydia hartmannellae, Waddlia chondrophila and Simkania negevensis). Given its high sensitivity, the new automated epifluorescence immunoassay from InoDiag represents an interesting alternative. The MOMP-based ELISA of R-Biopharm should be preferred for large serological studies, given the high throughput of ELISA and its excellent specificity.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Sébastien Aeby for the technical help and André Baud for the computer assistance. David Baud is supported by the “Société Académique Vaudoise” through the “Paul Blanc” grant and the SICPA Foundation. Lesley Regan is grateful for support from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Funding Scheme. Research performed by the Greub Group is currently supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant nos. FN 3200BO-116445 and 124483), by the Infectigen Foundation (In010), by the University of Lausanne and by SUEZ-ONDEO (Paris, France). Gilbert Greub is supported by the Leenards Foundation through a “Bourse Leenards pour la relève académique en médecine clinique à Lausanne”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research on Intracellular Bacteria (CRIB), Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Bugnon 48, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    D. Baud & G. Greub

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK

    D. Baud & L. Regan

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  1. D. Baud
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  2. L. Regan
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  3. G. Greub
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Correspondence to G. Greub.

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Baud, D., Regan, L. & Greub, G. Comparison of five commercial serological tests for the detection of anti-Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 29, 669–675 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-010-0912-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-010-0912-4

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