The Pediatric infectious disease journal
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Feb 2001
Comparative StudyComparison of the urine-based ligase chain reaction test to culture for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in pediatric sexual abuse victims.
The urine-based ligase chain reaction (LCR) assay for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an attractive alternative to culture because of the relative ease with which specimens may be collected, transported and processed. In addition LCR offers superior sensitivity while maintaining high specificity when compared with culture in various studies of adolescents and adults. A study comparing LCR to culture has not been published concerning children. ⋯ The low prevalence of disease in the study population precluded statistical analysis. LCR may prove to be as specific and more sensitive than culture for the detection of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae in children. Further studies are needed.