Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assays for Antibodies against Chlamydia Pneumoniae Compared with Microimmunofluorescence Test with Patients with Chronic Cough.

Lee, Hui Young; Kim, Woo Jin

doi:2005.59.1.47

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 59(1); 2005 > Article

Original Article

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2005;59(1):47-52.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2005.59.1.47 Published online July 1, 2005.

Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assays for Antibodies against Chlamydia Pneumoniae Compared with Microimmunofluorescence Test with Patients with Chronic Cough.

Hui Young Lee, Woo Jin Kim

¹Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Korea. pulmo2@knuh.or.kr
²Clinical Research Institute, Kangwon National University Hospital, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Chlamydia pneumoniae is a clinically important pathogen, the diagnosis of such infection being based mainly on serology. Microimmunofluorescence (MIF) is the current standard diagnostic method, but is subjective and time-consuming, so the authors tested the serology of chronic cough patients using an EILSA method for the Chlamydial antibody, which is a more objective method, and compared the results with those of the standard method. METHOD: Thirty-five patients, who visited Kangwon National University Hospital between August 2003 and July 2004, were evaluated. A MIF and ELISA tests were used to determine C. pneumoniae antibody titers. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Spearman rank correlation test was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Sensitivities of ELISA for IgG, IgA and IgM, as judged by MIF, were 84.0, 84.0 and 40.0% and the specificities were 60.0, 60.0 and 96.7%, respectively. Three patients were Chlamydia PCR positive. CONCLUSION: ELISA can be a useful tool for studying the seroprevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae. However, further studies will be required prior to its clinical use.

Key Words: Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent assay