Evaluation of an enzyme immunoassay for detection of Chlamydia psittaci in vaginal secretions, placentas, and fetal tissues from aborting ewes

Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames 50010.

A commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in human urogenital and conjunctival specimens was compared with isolation in cell culture for the detection of Chlamydia psittaci in vaginal and placental swabs from aborting ewes and swabs of aborted fetal tissues. The EIA on vaginal swabs collected from 10 ewes experimentally infected with C. psittaci had a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 85.7%. Vaginal swabs collected at the time of abortion or within 3 days were the best samples for detection of chlamydial infection. The 29 vaginal swabs collected during this period from experimentally infected ewes were all strongly EIA-positive, and chlamydia were isolated from 28. The EIA on vaginal swabs from 78 field cases of abortion had a sensitivity of 78.0% and a specificity of 76.8%. The EIA on swabs of cotyledons from 65 placentas had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 75.0% compared with isolation in cell culture. The EIA on 57 swabs of fetal tissues or body fluids from 10 aborted fetuses or weak lambs from experimentally infected ewes had a sensitivity of 26.6% and a specificity of 88.1% compared with isolation in cell culture. Limitations of the EIA are discussed.

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