Diagnosis of urogenital gonorrhoea by detecting gonococcal antigen with a solid phase enzyme immunoassay (Gonozyme).

Abstract

SUMMARY A solid phase enzyme immunoassay (GonozymeTM) was used to demonstrate gonococcal antigen in urogenital specimens. Urethral specimens from 101 men and cervical specimens from 150 women were examined, and the diagnostic yields were compared with those obtained by culture. The GonozymeTM test was positive in 25 patients, 15 men and 10 women, and negative in 226 patients. Gonococci were isolated by culture in 23 of the patients, 12 men and 11 women. The GonozymeTM test gave false-negative results in two men and one woman patient. The sensitivity of the test was 87% for the men and 91% for the women. Correspondingly, the test specificity was 94.3% for the men and 100% for the women, the predictive value of positive test 80% and 100%, and that of negative test 97.7 and 99-3% respectively. The GonozymeTM test does not allow antibiotic sensitivity testings but has the advantage of rapidity and is not dependent upon viable organisms. The test is an attractive alternative to culture procedures for screening women patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic gonorrhoea.

Comparison of dot blot with in‐situ hybridization for the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in urethral exudate

“…We confirm the failure of the hybridization tests to detect gonococci in females, as previously reported by Totten et al (1985). Apparently the tests, in their present state, are not sensitive enough to detect low numbers of gonococci in the female urogenital tract, a phenomenon which is also observed in antigen detection tests (Danielsson et al 1983). The sensitivity of the DNA hybridization test may well be increased by the application of new developments such as gene amplification (Saiki et al 1985) or better detection systems.…”

Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a versatile pathogen.

“…[18][19][20][21][22] The number of false positive results that this would produce, particularly in low prevalence populations,22 has led to concern and consequently limited the use of the test.…”

Duplex PCR system for simultaneous detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis in clinical specimens.

“…'5 Polymerase chain reactions for the detection of C trachomatis have also been developed.' [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] This paper describes the development of a duplex PCR assay using one pair of gonococcal primers (Ho 1 and Ho3) and one pair of chlamydial primers (CT2A and CT2B) for the simultaneous detection of the two organisms in one assay. As results of gonococcal culture are subject to many variable factors and culture of the swab specimens collected for this study was performed at different laboratories, culture results were not reliable enough to be used as standards.…”