Use

Chlamydiae Species Culture is used to identify and isolate Chlamydia trachomatis—which infects mucous membranes of the urogenital tract, upper respiratory tract, and eye—and Chlamydia pneumoniae, which is associated with upper and lower respiratory infections. In adults, infections can include urethritis, cervicitis, salpingitis, epididymitis, proctitis, and lymphogranuloma venereum, while in neonates respiratory and eye infections may occur following exposure at birth. Quest Diagnostics no longer accepts respiratory or eye specimens as of July 13, 2020 due to biosafety concerns. This test may also support public health reporting requirements, as C. trachomatis is a notifiable condition in some jurisdictions; it utilizes centrifugation-enhanced culture with monoclonal antibody detection. Membrane culture increases sensitivity for diagnosing active Chlamydiae infections and assists in epidemiologic surveillance.