Review article
https://doi.org/10.37797/ig.42.4.3
The role of serology in diagnostics of urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections
Ivana Puškarić
; University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Oktavija Đaković Rode
orcid.org/0000-0001-8023-4314
; University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Snježana Židovec Lepej
; University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Zagreb, Croatia
Tomislava Skuhala
; University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Zagreb, Croatia
Alemka Markotić
; University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Zagreb, Croatia
Višnja Škerk
; University Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević”, Zagreb, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common cause of bacterial sexually transmitted infections. Chlamydial sexually transmitted infections include lymphogranuloma venereum caused by serovars L1-L3 and other urogenital infections caused by serovars D-K. C. trachomatis can infect newborns through perinatal transmission.
The biggest challenge in prevention of Chlamydial infections is a significant proportion of asympthomatic infections, about 70% in women, and 50% in men, resulting in great potential for further infection spread. Although C. trachomatis infection is usually asympthomatic, in women can cause urethritis, cervicitis, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, tubal factor infertility, ectopic pregnancy, proctitis, conjunctivitis, reactive arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, and in pregnant women also preterm labor and postpartal endometritis. In men, infection can cause urethritis, prostatitis, epididymitis, proctitis in homosexual men, conjunctivitis, reactive arthritis, Reiter's syndrome. C. trachomatis can be transmitted to newborns during delivery and cause health complications such as conjunctivitis and pneumonia.
Laboratory diagnosis of C. trachomatis infection can be divided into direct and indirect diagnostic tests. Direct tests include isolation in cell culture, antigen detection, nucleic acid hybridization (NAH) and nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) which consists of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), ligase chain reaction (LCR), strand displacement amplification (SDA) and transcription mediated amplification (TMA). Indirect method is based on detection of IgM, IgG and IgA antibodies.
Clinical specimens for direct diagnostic test include endocervical swab, endourethral swab, rectal swab, conjunctival swab and for NAAT also first-void urine and vaginal swab
Keywords
Chlamydia trachomatis; genital infections; diagnostics; serology
Hrčak ID:
338852
URI
Publication date:
19.11.2025.
Visits: 50 *