Pannekoek Yvonne, Westenberg Steven M, Eijk Paul P, Repping Sjoerd, van der Veen Fulco, van der Ende Arie, Dankert Jacob
Department of Medical Microbiology1 and Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology2, University of Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
J Med Microbiol. 2003 Sep;52(Pt 9):777-779. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.05187-0.
Diagnostic potential of the Chlamydia trachomatis ligase chain reaction system (LCx) to assess the presence of C. trachomatis in urine and semen specimens was evaluated. Paired urine and semen specimens from 153 asymptomatic male partners of subfertile couples attending our Center for Reproductive Medicine were examined by LCx. As controls, 19 semen samples from four donors who were participating in the programme for artificial insemination were used. Of these, 12 samples had previously been shown to be C. trachomatis-positive by an in-house PCR. C. trachomatis was detected by LCx in seven of 153 (5 %) urine samples. None of the 153 semen samples tested positive by LCx. Also, none of the 12 C. trachomatis-containing control semen samples were positive by LCx. By in-house PCR, seven urine specimens and two of 153 (1 %) semen samples tested positive. The corresponding urine samples of these male partners were also C. trachomatis-positive, as well as the 12 C. trachomatis-containing samples from donors. In conclusion, LCx is not sensitive enough to assess the presence of C. trachomatis in semen specimens; therefore, this method is not recommended to routinely screen semen specimens from donors who participate in programmes for artificial insemination or male partners of subfertile couples for C. trachomatis.
评估了沙眼衣原体连接酶链反应系统（LCx）在检测尿液和精液标本中沙眼衣原体存在情况方面的诊断潜力。对153名到我们生殖医学中心就诊的不育夫妇无症状男性伴侣的配对尿液和精液标本进行了LCx检测。作为对照，使用了来自参与人工授精计划的4名供者的19份精液样本。其中，12份样本此前经内部聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测显示为沙眼衣原体阳性。LCx在153份尿液样本中的7份（5%）检测到沙眼衣原体。153份精液样本经LCx检测均为阴性。此外，12份含沙眼衣原体的对照精液样本经LCx检测也均为阴性。经内部PCR检测，7份尿液标本以及153份精液样本中的2份（1%）呈阳性。这些男性伴侣相应的尿液样本以及来自供者的12份含沙眼衣原体样本也呈阳性。总之，LCx在评估精液标本中沙眼衣原体存在情况时灵敏度不足；因此，不建议使用该方法对参与人工授精计划的供者精液标本或不育夫妇男性伴侣的精液标本进行常规沙眼衣原体筛查。
