Failure of serology in diagnosing chlamydial infections of the female genital tract

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Abstract
C. trachomatis was recovered from 30% (36/180) of women attending a venereal disease clinic. All infected women had chlamydial antibodies in their serum and cervical secretions. The background rates of chlamydial antibody in chlamydia-negative women were very high. Measurement of antibodies in serum (complement fixation or G IgG and IgM by microimmunofluorescence) or cervical secretion (IgG, Igm, IgA or secretory IgA classes) did not result in predictive values of > 32%. Detection of chlamydial antibodies in serum or cervical secretions cannot be substituted for agent isolation in diagnosing these infections.