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- Title
False-negative Chlamydia polymerase chain reaction result caused by a cryptic plasmid-deficient Chlamydia trachomatis strain in Australia.
- Authors
Sweeney, Emma L.; Bletchly, Cheryl; Gupta, Rita; Whiley, David M.
- Abstract
Background The 7.5-kb chlamydial cryptic plasmid remains a widely used sequence target for Chlamydia trachomatis nucleic acid amplification tests, but sequence variation in this plasmid, particularly a previously reported 377-bp deletion, can cause false-negative results. Here we report the presence in Australia of a C. trachomatis strain lacking the cryptic plasmid.<bold>Methods: </bold>A rectal swab from a male in his 50s provided a positive result for C. trachomatis using the Roche Cobas 4800 test, but a negative result in our confirmatory in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method targeting the chlamydial cryptic plasmid. This result was unexpected given our in-house PCR assay targeted a region of sequence outside the recognised 377-bp deletion. To further investigate this discrepancy, the sample was retested using a second in-house PCR targeting a chromosomal (ompA) gene as well as six primer sets flanking various regions of the cryptic plasmid.<bold>Results: </bold>The sample provided positive results in the second in-house method, confirming the presence of C. trachomatis DNA. All other primer sets targeting the cryptic plasmid failed to amplify, indicating a lack of the chlamydial cryptic plasmid in this sample.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>The recognition of a plasmid-deficient strain of C. trachomatis within Australia highlights further limitations of using the chlamydial cryptic plasmid for C. trachomatis diagnostics and re-emphasises the benefits of using multitarget assays to avoid false-negative results.
- Subjects
AUSTRALIA; QUEENSLAND; CHLAMYDIA trachomatis; POLYMERASE chain reaction; NUCLEIC acid amplification techniques; CHLAMYDIA; SEXUALLY transmitted diseases; CHLAMYDIA infection diagnosis; CHLAMYDIA infections; DIAGNOSTIC errors; DNA; GENES; GENETIC mutation; RECTAL diseases
- Publication
Sexual Health (14485028), 2019, Vol 16, Issue 4, p394
- ISSN
1448-5028
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1071/SH18205