Performance of the gen-probe AMPLIFIED Chlamydia trachomatis assay in detecting Chlamydia trachomatis in endocervical and urine specimens from women and urethral and urine specimens from men attending sexually transmitted disease and family planning clinics

The Gen-Probe AMPLIFIED Chlamydia Trachomatis Assay (AMP CT) uses transcription-mediated amplification and hybridization protection assay procedures to qualitatively detect Chlamydia trachomatis rRNA in urine, endocervical swab, and urethral specimens. The performance of the AMP CT was compared to that of cell culture for endocervical swab and urine specimens from women and urethral and urine specimens from men. Analysis of specimens with discrepant results was performed by a combination of reculture, direct fluorescent-antibody (DFA) staining of specimen sediment, and amplification which targeted a different chlamydial rRNA, A total of 800 urine samples were tested by the AMP CT (607 from women and 193 from men), and 7.1% were positive for C, trachomatis, with a sensitivity of 91.2% and a specificity of 99.6% upon discrepant analysis. A total of 926 swab specimens were tested by culture and AMP CT (717 endocervical swab specimens and 209 urethral swab specimens from men), and 7.7% were positive for C, trachomatis, with a sensitivity and specificity of 100% upon discrepant analysis. The AMP CT is a sensitive and specific nucleic acid hybridization assay for the detection of C, trachomatis in endocervical swab specimens from women, urethral swab specimens from men, and urine specimens from men and women.