Test Name
Chlamydia trachomatis
Test Code
CT
Associations
The CDC recommends that all sexually active adolescent women be screened for chlamydia trachomatis at least once a year. Close to half of chlamydia cases (46%) occur in women ages 15-19 and another 33% of infections occur in females between 20 and 24.
CPT Codes
87491
Turnaround Time
1-3 days
Specimen Requirements
3.0 mL ThinPrep® PAP or SurePath™ Test Pack 1.0 mL liquid cytology media (ThinPrep or SurePath) media One cervical or urethral swab collected with APTIMA Unisex Swab Specimen Collection (WHITE) Kit 20.0-30.0 mL (first catch) urine collected in preservative-free urine collection cup or 2.0 mL urine transferred to APTIMA urine specimen transport (YELLOW) tube
Specimen Stability
ThinPrep/SurePath - 30 days from collection at 18-25°C. Specimens are kept for 21 days after receipt. Swabs - 60 days from collection Urine - 24 hours from collection; 30 days after transfer to APTIMA urine transport (YELLOW) tube
Storage & Handling
Transport and store all specimens at 2-30°C
Causes for Rejections
Insufficient specimen volume No swab in transport tube Urine specimens >24 hours old unless transferred to APTIMA urine transport (YELLOW) tube
Description
Intended for use as a screening test for evidence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection.
References
- Welch DF (2007). Screening for Chlamydial and Gonorrheal infections: Current laboratory applications. Infect Med. 24:266-278.
- Chernesky M et al. (2006). High analytical sensitivity and low rates of inhibition may contribute to detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in significantly more women by the APTIMA Combo 2 assay. J Clin Micro. 44:400-405.
- GEN-PROBE APTIMA Combo 2 Assay.
