Abstract: Objective To evaluate the performance of ligase chain reaction(LCR) in the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis(Ct) from urethral or cervical samples in STD patients. Methods Ct was detected by LCR in urethral or cervical swabs from 276 cases with urethritis or cervicitis attending our STD clinic. All 276 urethral or cervical swab specimens were pooled by 4 into 69 pools for detection. Chlamydial cell culture was performed in 56 cases with nongonococal urethritis or cervicitis. Discrepant results were analyzed by PCR with primers targeting Ct major outer membrane protein gene. Results The sensitivity and specificity of LCR assay were 96.7% and 100% respectively. Two LCR approaches, pooling or individual testing, yielded 100% of consistency in the detection of Ct in urethral or cervical specimens. Conclusions LCR provides a highly sensitive and specific assay for detection of Ct from urethral and cervical samples, and could be recommended for the diagnosis of genital chlamydial infection. Pooling LCR is suitable for screening of urethral or cervical Ct infection in population study.

Key words: Sexually transmitted diseases, Chlamydia trachomatis