Cultivation of Chlamydia trachomatis. Different methods of treating the specimens.

Specimens of Chlamydia trachomatis were treated either by five different detergents, by ultrasound sonication or by four different buffers before cultivation in cycloheximide-treated McCoy cells. The chlamydial yield by cultivation and the variance of the yield were compared to a standard method using 0.2 molar sucrose in phosphate buffered saline (2SP) without application of detergents or sonication. 2SP was superior to the other buffers. None of the detergents increased the chlamydial yield. Sonication at energy-levels above approximately 1200 Ws/ml reduced the chlamydial yield significantly. Sonication just below this threshold doubled the yield. None of the methods reduced the variance of the yield.