SeroELISA Chlamydia IgA Assay

Additional Information

Assay Background

Chlamydia is a gram-negative obligate intracellular bacteria that causes acute and chronic diseases in mammalian and avian species. The genus Chlamydia is comprised of four species: C.trachomatis, C.pneumoniae, C.psittaci and C. pecorum. C.trachomatis is divided into 15 serovars (1). Serovars A, B, Ba and C are agents of trachoma (2), the leading cause of preventable blindness endemic in third world countries. Serovars L1-L3 are the agents of lymphogranuloma venereum. Serovars D-K are the common cause of sexually transmitted genital infection worldwide: cervicitis, endometritis/ salpingitis (3) in females and urethritis (4) in both males and females. Endometritis/salpingitis can lead to tubal occlusion with a higher risk of extra uterine pregnancy and infertility. Genital infection may cause an acute and persistent infection occasionally without any clinical symptoms. Generally, these infections are treatable once they are diagnosed. However without any treatment the infection may progress to a severe chronic inflammation leading to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, induced abortion or premature delivery. Moreover, infants to infected mothers may be infected during birth, leading to conjunctivitis or pneumonia (5). C.pneumoniae is an important respiratory pathogen in humans and causes up to 10% of community-acquired pneumonia cases. It has been associated with acute respiratory diseases, pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, pharyngitis, acute chest syndrome of sickle cell disease, coronary heart disease, and Guillain-Barre syndrome (6). C.psittaci infects a diverse range of host species from mollusks to birds to mammals and also causes severe pneumonia. Serodiagnostic tests, which rely on specific immunologic markers, serve as a non-invasive diagnostic tool in identification of both distal and deep infections (7). Chlamydia, specific IgA antibody appears to be a reliable immunological marker of primary, chronic and recurrent infections (8). Anti-Chlamydia IgA antibody is of diagnostic value in non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) patients (9), in women with acute salpingitis and in women with mechanical infertility (10) in ectopic pregnancy, prostatitis, epididymitis, conjunctivitis, Reiter’s syndrome (10) and pneumonitis. The SeroELISA Chlamydia test employs the L2 serovar broadly reacting antigen of C. trachomatis. It will detect C. trachomatis, C. psittaci and C. pneumoniae (TWAR) antibodies.