Comparison of methods for cultivation and isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis

Abstract

Mouse McCoy cells treated with cycloheximide, iododeoxyuridine and DEAE-dextran and untreated McCoy cells were inculated with 2 stock strains of C. trachomatis and with 231 urethral specimens from men, 53 (23%) of which contained C. trachomatis. Isolation rates, number and quality of inclusions and quality of the cell monolayers were compared. There were no significant differences between the isolation rates in the 4 systems, although the most isolations were made in the untreated and cycloheximide-treated cells. Cycloheximide-treated cells produced, from the both the clinical specimens and the 2 stock strains, significantly more inclusions than any of the other systems. The monolayer of the cycloheximide-treated cells and the inclusions that grew in these cells were optimal for examination and detection of C. trachomatis.