Frequently Asked Questions
Is it essential
to sample with the Clearview Chlamydia Female Collection kit for
endocervical swabs?
Yes. There any many
different compositions of swab type and some ingredients may
interfere with Clearview Chamydia MF giving false
positive results.
Can female urine samples or
male urethral swabs be tested with the Clearview Chlamydia MF test
kit?
No. The test has only been
validated for female endocervical swabs (using the female
collection kit) and male urine samples.
What sort of transport media
is required for the female endocervical swabs?
The swab should be
transported dry in the transportation tube supplied.
Clearview Chlamydia MF is an antigen detection
diagnostic test for Chlamydia trachomatis so it is not
essential for the organisms to remain viable. Transport media may
interfere with the test so should not be used. If the
endocervical swab is not to be tested within 1 day it may be stored
at 2-8oC for up to 5 days but cannot be frozen.
Does the male urine sample
have to be a first catch urine?
Yes. The first catch
urine must be collected into a clean dry container. The
patients should be instructed not to urinate for at least one hour
prior to sample collection. If the urine sample is not to be tested
within 6 hours it may be stored at 2-8oC for up to 5
days but cannot be frozen.
Does the male
urine sample have to be diluted in deionised water?
Yes. The purpose of
using a diluted urine sample is to ensure all salts are dissolved
before centrifugation so that only cellular material is spun down
on centrifugation. If the urine is not diluted in deionised
water there will be a greater proportion of inhibitory substances
present, which may interfere with the test.
Can
a water bath be used instead of the Clearview
Workstation?
Yes. The use of a
water bath is fine provided that the temperature of the water can
be maintained at 80oC+/- 2oC. The water
bath should ideally contain a circulating pump.
Does the sample
extract have to be cooled before adding it to the Clearview
device?
Yes, The sample extract must
be cooled for a minimum of 5 minutes at 18oC to
30oC before adding 5 drops to the Clearview device.
How long can the
sample extract be stored?
The extract can be stored at
18oC to 30oC for a maximum of 3 hours.
Can the kit be
used directly from the fridge?
No. All components
should be allowed to equilibrate at 18oC to
30oC before use.
A
test line has appeared but it is fainter than the control
line. How should this result be interpreted?
The presence of a test line
(no matter what strength) is indicative of a positive result
providing that the test was read within the specified time.
The strength of the test line depends on the amount of
Chlamydia trachomatis antigen in the sample; hence
low-level antigen would result in a weak test line being
generated.
How long after treatment can an
infected patient be tested for cure?
As a guideline it is
recommended that a patient be tested for cure no earlier than two
weeks after the beginning of treatment. Testing before this
period has elapsed may yield positive results due to non-viable
organism, which may not have cleared from the body.
Clearview Chlamydia MF is an antigen detection
test for Chlamydia trachomatis so will detect both viable
and non-viable organisms. This clearance will be host related
so the timescale is only a guideline.
Can Clearview
Chlamydia MF diagnostic test detect the other
Chlamydiae?
The antibodies used in
Clearview Chlamydia MF are directed against the
genus-specific lipopolysaccharide epitope of Chlamydia, so
the test will also detect Chlamydia psittaci, Chlamydia
pneumoniae and Chlamydia pecorum. However the test
has only been validated for the detection of Chamydia
trachomatis infection from female endocervical and male urine
samples.