The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will soon commercialise its newly developed technology for detection of chlamydia trachomatis, which is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a bacterium which can infect both men and women and can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman's reproductive organs.

The premier research organisation in the country has invited companies interested in commercialising this technology for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis for which an Indian Patent application (Application no. 834/DEL/2012) has been filed by the ICMR.

Senior officials in the ICMR said that the development of this new diagnostic test is of significance as diagnosis of chlamydia trachomatis is important as this infection is often asymptomatic and if untreated, the infection can lead to infertility, pelvic inflammatory diseases or ectopic pregnancy. Screening of individuals for chlamydia trachomatis can help in treatment to prevent these complications. A sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been developed to detect this infection in cervical swab specimens.

Officials said that there are several salient features to this technology developed by the ICMR. This diagnostic method is quite fast, economic and reliable and third party validation has been done with 100 per cent sensitivity and specificity. The method uses cervical swab specimens (with adequate cells for processing) for diagnosis of chlamydia trachomatis infection.  Steps involved are DNA extraction, PCR using supplied reagents, Agarose (two per cent) Gel Electrophoresis for detection of the amplified band of 200bp. Presence of 200bp amplified product in two per cent Agarose gel indicates that the specimen is positive for chlamydia trachomatis infection. DNA extraction can be done using a provided protocol or using any commercially available DNA extraction kit.

PCR takes only two hours and PCR reagents are quite stable at different temperatures. Instrument required is a Thermal Cycler (for PCR), Horizontal gel electrophoresis apparatus, power pack and UV Trans-illuminator. Training (one demonstration) is required for untrained person; otherwise trained person can follow the instruction to do the test.