Is seminal fluid a suitable specimen for detecting chlamydial infection in men?
As genital chlamydia infection is considered the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial disease worldwide, its correct diagnosis has a great clinical and epidemiological importance. Urethra is the recommended site for collecting specimen for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in men, but urethral swabbing is very inconvenient for the patients. Testing of seminal fluid has two advantages: taking the sample is more convenient for the patient, and the ejaculate would provide more information on the possible infection of the upper genital tract. Three non-culture methods-enzyme immunoassay (EIA), DNA hybridization, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-were used for evaluation of suitability of seminal fluid as a sample for detection of Chlamydia in 4 patient groups comprising 259 symptomatic and asymptomatic, urology and andrology patients. The seminal fluids were tested parallel with the urethral samples. In one group of patients with typical prostatic complaints expressed prostatic
