Objective
To identify C. trachomatis antigens that can be used to differentially diagnose tubal factor infertility in comparison to previously reported Heat Shock Protein 60 (HSP60).
Design
In Vitro Study
Patients
Infertile women with and without tubal pathology diagnosed laparoscopically.
Setting
Academic medical center.
Main Outcome Measures
Antibody responses to C. trachomatis in infertile women with or without tubal pathologies using a C. trachomatis genome-wide proteome array.
Results
Comparison of the antibody profiles revealed 30 C. trachomatis antigens that were preferentially recognized by tubal factor infertility women with a detection sensitivity and specificity of 80.6% and 56.5%, respectively, 10 of which showed 100% specificity. A combination of CT443 and CT381 antigens yielded the highest detection sensitivity (67.7%) while maintaining 100% specificity.
Conclusion
These findings have demonstrated that antibodies to CT443 and CT381, when used in combination, have higher sensitivity and specificity in predicting tubal factor infertility than other indicators for tubal factor infertility such as HSP60 antibodies (35.5%, 100%) or hysterosalpingogram (65%, 83%). Using a panel of C. trachomatis antigens to serologically diagnose tubal factor infertility can save the patients from undertaking expensive and invasive procedures for determining tubal pathology and choosing treatment plans.