The value of Chlamydia trachomatis antibody testing as part of routine infertility investigations

Laparoscopy is considered the gold standard for the evaluation of tubal disease but it is an invasive and costly procedure. Chlamydia trachomatis antibody testing is simple and inexpensive and causes minimal inconvenience to the patient. Using the micro-immunofluorescence technique we assessed the s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human reproduction (Oxford) 2000-05, Vol.15 (5), p.1079-1082
Main Authors: Thomas, K., Coughlin, L., Mannion, P.T., Haddad, N.G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use
antibody
Biological and medical sciences
Chlamydia Infections - diagnosis
Chlamydia Infections - drug therapy
Chlamydia trachomatis
Chlamydia trachomatis - immunology
Endoscopy
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - methods
Fallopian Tube Diseases - epidemiology
Fallopian Tube Diseases - microbiology
Fallopian Tube Diseases - pathology
Fallopian Tube Patency Tests
Fallopian Tubes - pathology
Female
Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect
Genital system
Humans
hysterosalpingography
Hysterosalpingography - methods
Immunoglobulin G - blood
Incidence
Infertility, Female - epidemiology
Infertility, Female - microbiology
Infertility, Female - pathology
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Laparoscopy
Medical sciences
tubal damage
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Summary:Laparoscopy is considered the gold standard for the evaluation of tubal disease but it is an invasive and costly procedure. Chlamydia trachomatis antibody testing is simple and inexpensive and causes minimal inconvenience to the patient. Using the micro-immunofluorescence technique we assessed the significance of positive serology. There was a marked association between the titre and the likelihood of tubal damage. In the group with low titres (1 in 32) there was only a 5% incidence of tubal damage; however, there was a progressive increase in the incidence of tubal damage in those with higher titres. Twenty out of 57 patients with titres higher than 1 in 32 had tubal damage (35%). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.0001, χ2 test). By using C. trachomatis antibody testing more widely it may be possible to reduce the number of laparoscopies performed. It should therefore become an integral part of the fertility work-up.
ISSN:0268-1161
1460-2350
1460-2350
DOI:10.1093/humrep/15.5.1079