Chlamydia Tests

Diagnosing a disease correctly is essential in order to treat it immediately. It goes without saying, that if the one disease is incorrectly diagnosed as another, the treatment will be foolishly wrong. And of course, side-effects may crop up. Chlamydia, being a fairly common disease, medical science has been spending several years on finding effective and accurate ways to test it.

The most foolproof and popular testing method for chlamydia is the nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT). The test has been explained by the Lab professionals as follows:

"This test is based on amplification (more than the normal number of copies ) of the DNA that is present in Chlamydia trachomatis. The advantage of molecular tests is that they are generally more capable to correctly identify the individuals who have given the disease or disorder and can accurately detect or measure only the substance of interest and exclude other substances as compared to the conventional culture of deliberately growing cells, especially microorganisms, in a solid or liquid medium, as of bacteria in a Petri dish. It can, therefore, identify more relevant specimens. However, molecular tests cannot be used to verify cases with legal implications."

Another test that is used to a considerable extent is direct fluorescent antibody stain (DFA). This test basically works on detecting the chlamydia antigens. Antigens are the substances that can cause the production of an antibody that binds to the antigen in order to damage, neutralize or kill it. DNA probe is another method that has been used quite a bit. This method looks for the chlamydia DNA. It is not nearly as sensitive as NAAT. A new technique, the rapid assay (test), is under evaluation as of date. This test can recognize bacteria markers in specimens (self-collected vaginal swabs or swabs collected by health care providers) Rapid assay can generate fairly accurate results within 30 minutes.

Now the question at hand is regarding the outcome. If you receive a positive test result it would mean that you are infected. This would then (obviously) be followed by the treatment of antibiotics. In case your result is negative, it would mean that there aren't traces of infection at the time of the test. However, if you have gone through the testing and the anxiety, it would be best to maintain a safe lifestyle henceforth and be vigilant for the symptoms. A good option would be to get a check up done on a regular basis to be able to diagnose it (when and if it happens) in a timely manner. Even if you have been treated, regular check-ups would help eliminate the possibility of a relapse.

Unchecked and consequently, untreated chlamydia can make a person more susceptible to HIV and other STDs if exposed to them. As it is widely known, chlamydia if untreated or not treated in time can cause infertility in both, men and women. It is always advised that STDs should not be taken lightly. Be aware of your health status, make regular visits to a doctor. If you do have an active sex life, make it a point to get routine check ups for STDs done on a regular basis.