Simplified method for diagnosis of genital and ocular infections with Chlamydia.

The diagnosis of infections with chlamydia related to the trachoma agent is best confirmed by isolation of the organism in tissue-culture. A simplified technique using conventional monolayers of McCoy cells can be used as an alternative to current methods involving heavily irradiated cells and appears to be of reasonable sensitivity. Chlamydial infection was confirmed in 38/190 females attending venereal clinics, in 22/35 patients with hypertrophic cervical erosions, and in 7/18 infants with ophthalmia neonatorum.