Abstract

Using a fluorescein labelled monoclonal antibody ("Micro Trak") to identify chlamydia elementary bodies in endocervical smears, we detected Chlamydia trachomatis in 31 (21%) of 150 cases of classic pelvic inflammatory diseases (PID) and in 42 (18%) of 232 cases of abdominal pain not diagnosed as PID. Only 43 (59%) of the women yielding chlamydiae would have received treatment in the absence of a diagnostic service for chlamydial infection. Evidence of chlamydial infection should be sought in all women presenting to a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic with abdominal pain.