Pooling Endocervical Samples for Chlamydia Trachomatis Diagnosis by Polymerase Chain Reaction: Cost Saving Strategy for Epidemiological and Screening Studies

The technique of pooling endocervical samples for PCR detection of C. trachomatis was developed and compared with individual testing. The efficiency of pooling strategy was evaluated for its accuracy and cost saving ability. Population prevalence based on pooled data was estimated. 1. 500 endocervical samples were tested individually and pooled by 5 (300 pools) and 10 (150 pools) specimens. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR was not affected by pooling either by 5 or by 10 samples. The estimated prevalence was 6. 1% (95% CI: 4,5-7,7) and 6,0% (95% CI: 4,3-7,) for pooling by 5 and 10, respectively. The prevalence of 6. 6% determined by individual testing (99 of 1. 500) was within 95% CI of the estimated prevalence for pooling by 5 and 10. The used pooling strategy has resulted in 53. 3 and 44. 0% cost savings, when endocervical samples were pooled by 5 and 10, respectively. Thus, pooling endocervical samples for detection of C. trachomatis is an accurate and cost saving approach for realization of large-scale studies.