Progress and Perspectives in Point of Care Testing for Urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis Infection: A Review

Worldwide, genital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Most infections are asymptomatic. However, particularly in women, untreated infection with C. trachomatis can lead to complications that include pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and tubal ectopic pregnancy. Rapid methods for early and accurate diagnosis for infection with C. trachomatis that can be performed in the clinic would allow for earlier treatment to prevent complications. Traditional laboratory-based tests for C. trachomatis infection include culture, enzyme immunoassay, direct immunofluorescence, nucleic acid hybridization, and nucleic acid amplification tests, which take time but have high diagnostic sensitivity. Novel and rapid diagnostic tests include extraordinary optical transmission (EOT), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), and microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence (MAMEF). Although these new tests offer the promise of rapid screening and diagnosis, they may have lower diagnostic sensitivity. This review aims to provide an overview of traditional methods for the diagnosis of urogenital infection with C. trachomatis, the current status of POC testing for urogenital C. trachomatis infection and discusses recent progress and perspectives.