This document discusses various nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for detecting Chlamydia trachomatis, including PCR, real-time PCR, transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), and strand displacement amplification (SDA). It provides details on commercially available tests like Cobas Amplicor, Roche cobas, Abbott RealTime, Gen-Probe Aptima Combo 2, and BD ProbeTec systems. The advantages and limitations of each method are outlined. Sensitivity and specificity rates for different sample types are generally high, ranging from 92-100% sensitivity and 95-100% specificity.
3. Chlamydia trachomatis
• Obligate intracellular gram negative organism
• Commonest bacterial STD
• Disease due to direct damage to cells and
immunopathology causing fibrosis and scarring
• Diagnostic Options for Chlamydial Infections:
– Cell Culture
– Direct Fluorescence Assay
– Enzyme Immunoassay
– Hybridisation Assay
– Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests
4. Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests
(NAATs)
• Present advantages
– The most sensitive and specific assays
– Self collected samples (vaginal and male urine)
– Pooling specimens
– Automation possible
5. NAATs
• Present disadvantages
– False positive result : contamination by amplicon
– False negative result : inhibitors
– Mutation target (swedish variant)
– In low prevalence population, need to consider confirmation of
positives
6. QCMD1 CT 2012 Details of
commercial tests
• PCR
– Cobas Amplicor
• Real time PCR
– Roche cobas 4800 CT/NG test
– Roche Cobas TaqMan CT test
– Abbott Real time CT or CT/NG
• TMA
– Gen-Probe APTIMA Combo 2 or CT assay
• SDA
– BD Probe Tec
– Viper Probe tec
1.Quality Control for Molecular Diagnostics
8. Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR)
• The COBAS AMPLICOR system automates amplification and
detection of target nucleic acids, making diagnostic PCR routine for a
variety of infectious diseases.
• The system contains
– Single thermal cycler
– Incubator
– Magnetic particle washer
– Pipettor
– Photometer
9. COBAS AMPLICOR
• Amplified products are captured on oligonucleotide-coated
paramagnetic microparticles and detected with use of an avidin-
horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugate.
• The PCR products are then detected in an ELISA-like format in
which oligonucleotide probe-coated paramagnetic microparticles
capture biotin-labeled amplification products by hybridization to the
products.
10. Target is chlamydia plasmid. Primers are biotin labelled to produce biotin labelled
amplicons
13. samples
• Urine
Store up to 24h at RT and up to 7 days at 2 – 8 o
c
• Vaginal swab
In amplicor specimen transport medium store
at RT for up to 10 days.
14. Urethral/cervico vaginal C.
trachomatis
• Sensitivity100.0 %, specificity99.8 %
• Test up to 66 patient specimens in one day on one COBAS Analyzer
• Swabs in Amplicor specimen transport medium store at RT for up to
10 days.
• Internal amplification control
• Multiplex available to detect CT and GC
15. Urine C.trachomatis
• Sensitivity 92.3 %, specificity 99.6 %
• Urine – store up to 24h at RT and up to 7 days at 2 - 8˚ C
• Internal amplification control
• Multiplex available to detect CT and GC
16. Cobas Amplicor disadvantages
• Positive internal control signal might be misleading in inhibitory
specimens with low amount of C. trachomatis.
• Roche method had difficulty in detecting dual infections, generally
with male urine specimens, when there were relatively large amounts
of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and small amounts of C. trachomatis target
based on DC analysis
19. Abbott Real Time CT/NG assay
• The Abbott method uses an automated nucleic acid extraction
platform based on magnetic bead technology and robotic PCR setup,
followed by the manual transfer of PCR mixtures to an m2000rt
thermocycler for real-time PCR amplification and reading
• Target is chlamydial plasmid
21. Abbott Real Time CT/NG assay
• “CT” stands for Chlamydia trachomatis and “NG” stands for
N.gonorrhoeae that uses the automated m2000 molecular platform
• Abbot assay was more sensitive than the Roche assay for both C.
trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae.
• Abbott RealTime CT/NG assay is an accurate and automated new
addition to the available testing options for C. trachomatis and N.
gonorrhoeae
22. Transcription-Mediated Amplification
(TMA)
• RNA transcription amplification system using two enzymes, reverse
transcriptase and T7 RNA polymerase
• Isothermal, amplification of rRNA target
• Produces over ten billion-fold amplification
• Single-tube format
• Gen-Probe Aptima Combo 2 assay
23. APTIMA COMBO 2 ASSAY
• It is a second generation nucleic acid amplification test that is used
for in vitro detection & differentiation of rRNA from CT & GC.
• AC2 assay is a qualitative molecular diagnostic assay
• Since it provides qualitative results, there is no correlation between
the magnitude of a positive assay signal & the number of organisms in
a specimen.
25. Sample Preparation & Purification of Target
Molecules by TC Method
• Collection of swab or urine specimen into transport tubes respectively.
Transport solution releases rRNA targets & protects them from
degradation.
• Isolation of target rRNA from urine & swab samples by the usage of
capture oligomers in target capture.
• The capture oligomers contain a string of deoxyadenosine residues &
sequences complementary to specific regions of the target molecules.
• A separate capture oligomers is used for each target.
26. Target Capture Technology
• Binding of the sequence specific
regions of the capture oligomers to
the target molecule.
• Temperature reduction causes
hybridization to occur between the
deoxyadenosine region on the
capture oligomer and the poly-
deoxythymidine molecules
(attached covalently to magnetic
particles).
• The magnetic particles are pulled
to the side of the tube by a magnet
and specimen matrix that may
contain amplification reaction
inhibitors are washed.
• After Target Capture step is
completed, the specimens are
ready for amplification.
27. Advantages of Target Capture
• Eliminates centrifugation and chemical extraction steps.
• Allows simultaneous targeting of multiple nucleic acid sequences.
• Allows the use of large volumes and a variety of samples that are
currently difficult to amplify such as cerebral spinal fluid and serum.
• Increases specificity, because target nucleic acids are purified before
amplification.
• Increases sensitivity by reducing the inhibition rate.
28. Transcription-Mediated Amplification
• One primer contains a T7
promoter sequence for RNA
polymerase that hybridizes to the
target RNA
• RT creates a cDNA of the target
RNA by extension from the 3’ end
of the promoter-primer
• The RNA of the resulting
RNA:DNA duplex is degraded by
the RNAse H activities of the RT
• A second primer then binds to the
cDNA containing the promoter
sequence from the T7 promoter-
primer
29. Amplicon Detection by Hybridization Protection
Assay (HPA)
• Single-stranded chemiluminescent DNA probes, are labeled with
different acridinium ester molecules and are complementary to a
region of each target amplicon.
• Stable RNA:DNA hybrids are then formed from the labeled DNA
probes binding to amplicon.
• The Selection Reagent eliminates the generation of signal from
unhybridized probe by differentiating hybridized from unhybridized
probe.
• In the detection step, light emitted from the labeled RNA:DNA
hybrids is measured as photon signals and are reported as Relative
Light Units (RLU) in a luminometer
31. Dual Kinetic Assay (DKA)
• One of the acridinium ester molecules attached to one of the DNA
probes has fast light-off kinetics and is called a “flasher”.
• The other acridinium ester molecules attached to other DNA probe
that has slower kinetics is called a “glower”.
• The chemiluminescent detection reaction for CT signal has rapid
kinetics and has the “flasher” kinetic type, while the
chemiluminescent detection reaction for the GC signal is slower and
has the “glower” kinetic type.
• Cut-off based on the total RLU and the kinetic curve type is how the
assay results are determined.
32. Limitation of APTIMA Combo 2
Assay:
• Therapeutic failure or success cannot be determined , since nucleic
acid may persist after antimicrobial therapy.
• It is not a quantitative assay.
• This assay does not permit microscopic assessment of specimen
adequacy, so training of the techniques is necessary.
33. Gen-Probe Aptima-Combo 2 Assay
• genital specimens sensitivity 100%, specificity 98 – 100%
• urine
– sensitivity of the AMP CT assay to 95.4% for women and
95.6% for men
– specificity of AMP CT assay was very high (98.3%) and was
comparable to others studies (98.8 to 100%). Automation of
this technique could improve the specificity by eliminating
contamination during the manual process
• Rectal Infections:
– Test sensitivities100.0 (92.5–100.0)
– Specificity 95.6 (92.8–97.5)
34. Strand Displacement Amplification
(SDA)
• Target gene – Chlamydia plasmid
• Target generation phase
– dsDNA heat denatured to give ssDNA
• Amplification phase
– SDA isothermal. ssDNA amplified using DNA polymerase,
restriction enzyme, primers with restriction enzyme recognition
sites, bumpers
• Detection phase – ET fluorescence energy transfer
35. Becton Dickinson
ProbeTec SDA
ssDNA with restriction site Amplification primer binds
DNA polymerase extends primer dsDNA with restriction sites
36. BD ProbeTec SDA
Restriction enzyme binds Nicks one strand dsDNA DNA polymerase binds, extends
displacing previously made strand
Restriction site repeatedly nicked
and new strands made and
displaced
Each displaced strand enters cycle DNA strands bind to probe and
detected by Energy Transfer
Hairpin
secondary
structure
Fluorescent
dye
Quenching
dye
38. Ideal Test
• High sensitivity and specificity
• Suitable for non invasive samples – urine
• Fast turnaround time
• Low cost
• Not affected by inhibitory substances
• Transport and storage of samples not critical
• Able to automate
39. Ideal Test
• Gen-Probe assays detected all mutant strains characterized by the in-
house PCR as having the deletion in the cryptic plasmid, whereas the
Roche and the Abbott PCRs targeting the plasmid were both unable to
detect the plasmid mutant.
• Gen-Probe assays can perform 400 sample in 8 hourse
• Gen-Probe assays Eliminates centrifugation and chemical extraction
steps
40. References
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Amplification, Abbott PCR, and Roche PCR Assays for Detection of Wild-Type and Mutant
Plasmid Strains of Chlamydia trachomatis in Sweden. J Clin Microbiol. 2008
Dec;46(12):3892-5. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00412-08. Epub 2008 Oct 8.
2. Møller JK1, Pedersen LN, Persson K. Comparison of the Abbott RealTime CT New
Formulation Assay with Two Other Commercial Assays for Detection of Wild-Type and
New Variant Strains of Chlamydia trachomatis .J Clin Microbiol. 2010 Feb;48(2):440-3.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.01446-09. Epub 2009 Dec 9
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4. de Barbeyrac B1, Géniaux M, Hocké C,et al. Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in
symptomatic and asymptomatic populations with urogenital specimens by AMP CT (Gen-
Probe Incorporated) compared to others commercially available amplification assays. Diagn
Microbiol Infect Dis. 2000 Jul;37(3):181-5
41. 5. Akduman D1, Ehret JM, Messina K, et al. Evaluation of a Strand Displacement
Amplification Assay (BD ProbeTec-SDA) for Detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Urine
Specimens .J Clin Microbiol. 2002 Jan;40(1):281-3.
6. Schuurs TA, Verweij SP, Weel JFL, et al. Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria
gonorrhoeae in an STI population: performances of the Presto CT-NG assay, the Lightmix
Kit 480 HT CT/NG and the COBAS Amplicor with urine specimens and urethral/
cervicovaginal samples. BMJ Open 2013;3:e003607. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013- 003607
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of Pre- and Postcytology Testing
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