Molecular diagnosis of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection

Chlamydia pneumoniae is a common and important intracellular bacterium implicated in upper and lower respiratory tract infections in humans. Also, C. pneumoniae has been associated with chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis and asthma. Since C. pneumoniae can cause severe clinical disease, correct diagnosis and therapy are important issues. However, conventional assays for the detection of C. pneumoniae have limitations, and there is a need for more accurate diagnostic methods. Nucleic acid amplification (NAA) techniques have the potential to offer clinical laboratories a convenient means of detecting C. pneumoniae rapidly and reliably, ensuring optimal clinical decisions and patient care, including choice of appropriate antibiotic therapy. This minireview discusses the molecular biology-based amplification methods that are currently available for the detection of C. pneumoniae as well as potential new techniques. Topics that are discussed include specimen collection, preparation of nucleic acid from samples, choice of gene target and primer set selection, optimal amplification conditions, and detection of the amplification product. Also reviewed are methods for recognition and prevention of false-positive and false-negative results, evaluations of new and old tests, and clinical applications.