Chlamydia antibodies

Chlamydia antibodies are antibodies targeting bacteria of the Chlamydia genus, but it generally refers specifically to antibodies targeting Chlamydia trachomatis, which is the cause of Chlamydia infection in humans.

Usage

Testing for Chlamydia antibodies is not the mainstay diagnostic tool for Chlamydia infection, which is preferentially diagnosed by Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

However, testing for Chlamydia antibodies is a cost-effective screening device in detecting fallopian tube pathology, as it is often related to Chlamydia infection.^[1] The preferred technique for this purpose is by micro-immunofluorescence (MIF), because it superior in the assessment of tubal pathology when compared with immunofluorescence (IF) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).^[2]

References

1. ^ Kodaman PH, Arici A, Seli E.. "Evidence-based diagnosis and management of tubal factor infertility.". Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Jun;16(3):221-9.. PMID 15129051. 
2. ^ Broeze, K. A.; Opmeer, B. C.; Coppus, S. F. P. J.; Van Geloven, N.; Alves, M. F. C.; Anestad, G.; Bhattacharya, S.; Allan, J. et al. (2011). "Chlamydia antibody testing and diagnosing tubal pathology in subfertile women: An individual patient data meta-analysis". Human Reproduction Update 17 (3): 301–310. doi:10.1093/humupd/dmq060. PMID 21227996.  edit