Rapid Chlamydia test proves positive

Source: Wellcome Trust

Wellcome Trust-funded researchers have successfully completed a clinical trial for a new rapid test for the sexually transmitted infection Chlamydia.

The researchers believe the test, which is able to detect Chlamydia in less than 30 minutes - and often much faster - could be a valuable addition to screening programmes already in place, as well as providing a crucial diagnostic test in the developing world.

The new rapid test for Chlamydia has been developed by a team of researchers led by Dr Helen Lee at the University of Cambridge. An evaluation of the test in three UK clinics is reported in the British Medical Journal.

Lee's research teams at the university and their spin-out company Diagnostics for the Real World were recently awarded $50,000 as the winner of the 2007 Tech Museum Awards (USA) in the Health Category for the Signal Amplification System they developed, technology that underpins and improves the sensitivity of rapid tests.

Chlamydia trachoma is the world's most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infection. If left untreated, the disease can result in complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

However, as up to 70 per cent of infected women do not show symptoms, the disease often goes undiagnosed.

The new rapid test was developed to allow detection of Chlamydia using self-collected vaginal swabs, which is much easier to obtain than the cervical swabs required by existing rapid tests and is up to twice as accurate.

The new Chlamydia rapid test detected infection in more than four out of five infected women, even though most showed no symptoms.

This sensitivity is similar to some of the current gold standard nucleic acid amplification tests used in screening programs. The rapid test can provide results in less than 30 minutes while the nucleic acid based tests can take weeks.

"The speed of the [Chlamydia rapid tests] means that we can provide a 'test and treat' strategy, offering immediate clinical care to the patient," Lee said.

"This has the benefits of reducing the risk of complications and preventing onward transmission." In addition to being a valuable addition to existing screening programs, the new Chlamydia rapid test could be used in settings such as mobile clinics and outreach clinics to help improve the screening coverage of difficult-to-reach populations.

In developing countries, especially those with high-risk populations such as female sex workers, the availability of this simple and rapid test would also allow screening and treatment of more individuals.

"Because the test is easy to use and is robust, it can be used in a clinic in London or the Philippines," Dr Lourdes Mahilum-Tapay, who led the clinical trials, said. "The test can be implemented easily without the need for laboratory equipment or highly trained staff."

It will be made available by the spinout company Diagnostics for the Real World in early 2008. The company plans to provide the test at virtually cost price to the public sector of developing countries, subsidised by charging the market price in the developed world.

The development of the test was made possible with funding from the Wellcome Trust's Technology Transfer Division.