Abstract
This study compared the BDProbeTec™ ET Chlamydia trachomatis amplified DNA assay on urine specimens with culture of genital swabs for the detection of C. trachomatis in patients attending the Department of Genitourinary Medicine (GUM), Cardiff Royal Infirmary. Almost twice as many patients tested positive by BDProbeTec™ ET than by culture. A similar difference was found for both males and females. The case notes of those patients positive by BDProbeTec™ ET alone were analysed and a significantly greater number were found to have risk indicators for C. trachomatis infection when compared with age and sex comparable controls, providing clinical validation of our findings. The BDProbeTec™ ET assay was easy to use, more importantly, the test format features an internal control integral with every sample. The cost per true positive was calculated as comparable with culture. We conclude that the BDProbeTec™ ET assay is a superior alternative to culture for identifying patients infected with C. trachomatis in the GUM clinic setting.