Abstract:

Objective To detect Chlamydia trachomatis phage Vp1 gene in clinical swab specimens and anti-Vp1 antibodies in serum specimens. Methods Cervical and urethral swab as well as serum specimens were collected from attendees to the sexually transmitted disease （STD） clinic in the Tianjin Institute of STD, during March 2008 to March 2011. PCR was conducted to detect chlamydial phage Vp1 gene in swab samples, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and Western blot to detect anti-Vp1 antibody in sera. The swab specimens positive for Vp1 gene were subjected to cell culture followed by the detection of Vp1 protein with an immunofluorescence-based method. Results Totally, 36 out of 1542 swab specimens turned out to be positive for Vp1 gene, and 23 out of 453 serum specimens for anti-Vp1 antibody. No positive results were obtained in the Vp1 gene-positive swab specimens by cell culture and immunofluorescence-based assay. Conclusion The Vp1 gene of Chlamydial trachomatis phage and anti-Vp1 antibody are successfully detected from clinical swab and serum specimens respectively.

Key words: chlamydia trachomatis