Chlamydia Rapid Test provides rapid, accurate results

The new Chlamydia Rapid Test can quickly and accurately detect chlamydia infections, and allow for same-day treatment, according to a report published online Nov. 30 in BMJ Online First.

Lourdes Mahilum-Tapay, PhD, of Diagnostics for the Real World (Europe) Ltd. in Cambridge, UK, and colleagues tested 1,349 women aged 16 to 54 at three different clinics.

Compared with polymerase chain reaction assay, the researchers found that the Chlamydia Rapid Test had a resolved sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 83.5%, 98.9%, 86.7%, and 98.6%, respectively. Compared with strand displacement amplification assay, they found that the Chlamydia Rapid Test had a sensitivity and specificity of 81.6% and 98.3%, respectively.

“The performance of the Chlamydia Rapid Test with self-collected vaginal swabs indicates that it would be an effective same-day diagnostic and screening tool for chlamydia infection in women,” the authors conclude. “The availability of Chlamydia Rapid Test results within 30 minutes allows for immediate treatment and contact tracing, potentially reducing the risks of persistent infection and onward transmission. It could also provide a simple and reliable alternative to nucleic acid amplification tests in chlamydia screening programs.”

(The study was funded by a Wellcome Trust grant to the University of Cambridge, which, along with two of the study authors, are equity holders of Diagnostics for the Real World.)

Mahilum-Tapay L, Laitila V, Wawrzyniak JJ, et al. New point of care Chlamydia Rapid Test-bridging the gap between diagnosis and treatment: performance evaluation study. BMJ. 2007;335:1190-1194.