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HelpTest ID: CTRNA Chlamydia trachomatis, Nucleic Acid Amplification, Varies
Reporting Name
Chlamydia trachomatis Amplified RNAUseful For
Detecting Chlamydia trachomatis
This test is not intended for use in medico-legal applications.
This test is not useful for the detection of other Chlamydia species.
Clinical Information
Chlamydia is caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria in the United States. In 2020, over 1.5 million documented cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Given that 3 out of 4 infected women and 1 out of 2 infected men are initially asymptomatic, the actual prevalence of disease is thought to be much greater than reported. C trachomatis causes genitourinary infections in women and men and may be associated with dysuria as well as vaginal, urethral, or rectal discharge. In women, complications include pelvic inflammatory disease, salpingitis, and infertility. Approximately 25% to 30% of women who develop acute salpingitis become infertile. Complications among men are rare but include epididymitis and sterility. Rarely, genital chlamydial infection can cause arthritis with associated skin lesions and ocular inflammation (Reiter syndrome). C trachomatis can be transmitted from the mother during delivery and is associated with conjunctivitis and pneumonia in the newborn. Finally, C trachomatis may cause hepatitis and pharyngitis in adults.
Once detected, the infection is easily treated by a short course of antibiotic therapy. Annual chlamydia screening is now recommended for all sexually active women 25 years of age and younger and for older women with risk factors for infection, such as a new sex partner or multiple sex partners. The CDC also recommends that all pregnant women be given a screening test for chlamydia infection. Repeat testing for test-of-cure is not recommended after treatment with a standard treatment regimen unless patient compliance is in question, reinfection is suspected, or the patient's symptoms persist. Repeat testing of pregnant women, 3 weeks after completion of therapy, is also recommended to ensure therapeutic cure, although residual nucleic acid may remain in the absence of active infection.
Improved screening rates and increased sensitivity of nucleic acid amplification testing have resulted in an increased number of accurately diagnosed cases. Improved detection rates result from improved performance characteristics of the assays and patients' easy acceptance of urine testing. Early identification of infection enables sexual partners to seek testing and/or treatment as soon as possible and reduces the risk of disease spread. Prompt treatment reduces the risk of infertility in women.
Interpretation
A positive result indicates the presence of nucleic acid from Chlamydia trachomatis and strongly supports the diagnosis of chlamydial infection.
A negative result indicates that nucleic acid from C trachomatis was not detected in the specimen. A negative result does not exclude the possibility of infection. If clinical indications strongly suggest chlamydial infection, additional specimens should be collected for testing.
A result of inconclusive indicates that a new specimen should be collected.
The predictive value of an assay depends on the prevalence of the disease in any specific population. In settings with a high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections, positive assay results have a high likelihood of being true-positive results. In settings with a low prevalence of sexually transmitted infections, or in any setting in which a patient's clinical signs and symptoms or risk factors are inconsistent with chlamydial urogenital infection, positive results should be carefully assessed, and the patient retested by other methods, if appropriate.
Report Available
1 to 4 daysDay(s) Performed
Monday through Sunday
Clinical Reference
1. Workowski KA, Bachmann LH, Chan PA, et al. Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2021;70(4):1-187. doi:10.15585/mmwr.rr7004a1
2. Adamson PC, Klausner JD. Diagnostic test for detecting chlamydia trachomatis and neisseria gonorrhoeae in rectal and pharyngeal specimens. J Clin Microbiol. 2022;60(4):e0021121. doi:10.1128/JCM.00211-21
Method Name
Transcription-Mediated Amplification
Specimen Type
VariesNecessary Information
Specimen source is required.
Specimen Required
Submit only 1 of the following specimens:
Specimen Type: Endocervix/cervix
Supplies: Swab, Aptima Unisex Swab Collection Kit (T583)
Container/Tube: Aptima Unisex Swab
Specimen Volume: Swab
Collection Instructions:
1. Specimens must be collected using the Aptima Unisex Swab Collection Kit.
2. Use cleaning swab (white shaft) to remove excess mucus from endocervix/cervix.
3. Discard the cleaning swab.
4. Insert second swab (blue shaft) 1 to 1.5 cm into endocervical canal and rotate swab gently for 30 seconds. Avoid touching vaginal wall when removing swab.
5. Place second swab into transport tube provided in collection kit.
6. Snap off swab at score line so swab fits into closed tube.
7. Cap tube securely, and label tube with patient's entire name and collection date and time.
8. Maintain swab container at 2 to 30° C (refrigerate temperature is preferred) and transport within 60 days of collection. If longer storage is needed, freeze at -20 to -70° C for 12 months.
Specimen Type: Vaginal
Supplies: Swab, Aptima Multitest Swab Collection Kit (T584)
Container/Tube: Aptima Multitest Swab
Specimen Volume: Swab
Collection Instructions:
1. Specimens must be collected using the Aptima Multitest Swab Specimen Collection Kit.
2. Insert swab (pink shaft) about 5 cm past introitus and rotate gently for 30 seconds.
3. Place swab into transport tube provided in collection kit. Snap off swab at score line so swab fits into closed tube.
4. Cap tube securely, and label tube with patient's entire name, and collection date and time.
5. Maintain swab container at 2 to 30° C (refrigerate temperature is preferred) and transport within 60 days of collection. If longer storage is needed, freeze at -20 to -70° C for 12 months.
Specimen Type: Urethra (Males Only)
Supplies: Swab, Aptima Unisex Swab Collection Kit (T583)
Container/Tube: Aptima Unisex Swab
Specimen Volume: Swab
Collection Instructions:
1. Specimens must be collected using the Aptima Unisex Swab Collection Kit.
2. Patient should not have urinated for at least 1 hour prior to collection.
3. With a rotating movement, insert swab (blue shaft) 2 to 4 cm into urethra.
4. Once inserted, rotate swab gently at least 1 full rotation using sufficient pressure to ensure swab comes into contact with all urethral surfaces. Allow swab to remain inserted for 2 to 3 seconds.
5. Place swab in transport tube provided in collection kit. Snap off swab at score line so swab fits into closed tube.
6. Cap tube securely, and label tube with patient's entire name and collection date, and time.
7. Maintain swab container at 2 to 30° C (refrigerate temperature is preferred) and transport within 60 days of collection. If longer storage is needed, freeze at -20 to -70° C for 12 months.
Specimen Type: Urine
Supplies: Aptima Urine Transport Tube (T582)
Container/Tube: Aptima urine specimen transport tube
Specimen Volume: 15 to 20 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. Patient should not have urinated for at least 1 hour prior to specimen collection.
2. Patient should collect first portion of random voided urine (first part of stream) into a sterile, plastic, preservative-free container.
3. Within 24 hours of collection, transfer 2 mL of urine into the urine specimen transport tube using the disposable pipette provided. The correct volume of urine has been added when the fluid level is between the black fill lines on the urine transport tube.
4. Place the labels on the transport tube so the black fill lines are still visible for volume confirmation at Mayo Clinic Laboratories.
5. Maintain urine specimen transport tube at 2 to 30° C (refrigerate temperature is preferred) and transport within 30 days of collection. If longer storage is needed, freeze at -20 to -70° C for 12 months.
Specimen Type: ThinPrep Specimen (Endocervix/cervix)
Supplies: Aptima Thin Prep Transport Tube (T652)
Container/Tube: ThinPrep collection kit
Specimen Volume: 1 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. Collect ThinPrep sample as per normal collection process.
2. ThinPrep specimen must be aliquoted (as outlined below) before it is processed/tested for Papanicolaou test (Pap smear).
3. Vortex ThinPrep/PreservCyt vial 3 to 10 seconds. Within 1 minute of vortexing:
a. Transfer 1 mL of specimen into the Aptima ThinPrep Transport Tube (ie, specimen transfer tube) using a disposable transfer pipette or a pipette tip containing a filter (aerosol barrier or hydrophobic plug).
b. Process only 1 ThinPrep and transfer tube set at a time.
c. Recap Aptima specimen transfer tube tightly and gently invert 3 times to mix.
4. Label Aptima transfer tube with appropriate label.
5. Use remainder of ThinPrep specimen for Papanicolaou testing.
6. Maintain specimen transport tube at 2 to 8° C (refrigerate temperature is preferred) and transport within 30 days of collection, or within 14 days if stored at 15 to 30° C. If longer storage is needed, freeze at -20 to -70° C for 12 months.
Specimen Type: Oropharynx/pharynx/throat
Supplies: Swab, Aptima Multitest Swab Collection Kit (T584)
Container/Tube: Aptima Multitest Swab
Specimen Volume: Swab
Collection Instructions:
1. Specimens must be collected using the Aptima Multitest Swab Specimen Collection Kit.
2. Swab site using Aptima Collection Multitest Swab (pink shaft).
3. Place collection swab in transport tube provided in collection kit. Snap off swab at score line so swab fits into closed tube.
4. Cap tube securely and label tube with patient's entire name and collection date and time.
5. Maintain swab container at either 4 to 30° C (refrigerated temperature is preferred) or -20 to -70° C, and transport within 60 days of collection.
Specimen Type: Rectal/anal
Supplies: Swab, Aptima Multitest Swab Collection Kit (T584)
Container/Tube: Aptima Multitest Swab
Specimen Volume: Swab
Collection Instructions:
1. Specimens must be collected using the Aptima Multitest Swab Specimen Collection Kit.
2. Insert swab into rectum about 3 to 5 cm past anal margin and gently rotate swab for 10 seconds.
3. Place collection swab in transport tube provided in collection kit. Snap off swab at score line so swab fits into closed tube.
4. Cap tube securely, and label tube with patient's entire name and collection date and time.
5. Maintain swab container at either 4 to 30° C (refrigerate temperature is preferred) or -20 to -70° C and transport within 60 days of collection.
Specimen Minimum Volume
Urine: 2 mL
Endocervical/cervix in PreservCyt or Swab specimens: See Specimen Required
Specimen Stability Information
| Specimen Type | Temperature | Time | Special Container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varies | Refrigerated (preferred) | APTIMA VIAL | |
| Ambient | APTIMA VIAL | ||
| Frozen | APTIMA VIAL | ||
Reference Values
Negative
Test Classification
This test has been cleared, approved, or is exempt by the US Food and Drug Administration and is used per manufacturer's instructions. Performance characteristics were verified by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements.CPT Code Information
87491
LOINC Code Information
| Test ID | Test Order Name | Order LOINC Value |
|---|---|---|
| CTRNA | Chlamydia trachomatis Amplified RNA | 43304-5 |
| Result ID | Test Result Name | Result LOINC Value |
|---|---|---|
| SRC14 | SOURCE: | 31208-2 |
| 34874 | Chlamydia trachomatis amplified RNA | 43304-5 |
Forms
If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send a Microbiology Test Request (T244) with the specimen.
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