CHLAMYDOPHILA PNEUMONIAE

Similar to viruses, Chlamydophila pneumoniae – a Gram negative bacillus - is a parasitic organism that cannot reproduce outside of the host cell.Chlamydophila pneumoniae exists in a stationary, non-infectious state in between hosts known as elementary body (EB).The elementary form of the bacteria is transferred via small water droplets into another host’s lungs where it is phagocytosed into cells.Once the elementary body is taken in, it transforms into the reticulate body, and it replicates itself within the cell.With numerous copies of itself within the cell, the reticulate body reverts back to its elementary form, lyses the cell, and begins the cycle of infection again.Chlamydial infections of the respiratory system do not present a typical clinical picture. The spectrum of disease, in addition to pneumonia and influenza-like illness, includes pharyngitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and reactive arthritis. C. pneumoniae accounts for 6% to 20% of cases of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).Moreover, C. pneumoniae has been reported as a possible cause of atherosclerosis and central nervous system disorders.The detection of specific antibodies against C. pneumoniae is the most common diagnostic tool for detecting the infection.Microimmunofluorescence (MIF) is considered as a reference method, but it has several limitations due to its technical complexity subjective reading and interpretation of the results; ELISA methods are much easier to perform than MIF, allowing an objective interpretation of the results.The Chorus kits for the serological diagnosis of infection by Chlamydophila pneumoniae combine the advantages of the ELISA methodology with the single test ready to use format of the diagnostic reagents, allowing a simple and fast serological diagnosis.

Method:

Immunoenzymatic method for the semiquantitative determination of IgA and IgG class antibodies and qualitative determination og IgM class antibodies against Chlamydophila pneumoniae in human serum, using a disposable device applied on the Chorus and Chorus TRIO instruments. The test is based on the ELISA principle (Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) which uses the reaction between the antibodies present in the tested sample and the immobilized antigen bound to solid phases.The immunoglobulins bind to the antigen through incubation with diluted human serum.The disposable devices contain all the reagents to perform the test when applied on the Chorus instruments. The result is expressed as an INDEX (ratio between the OD value of the sample and that of the Cut-off) and in Arbitrary Units (AU/ml).