CHLAMYDIA ARE OBLIGATE INTRACELLULAR BACTERIA WHICH CAUSE A VARIETY OF INFECTIONS BUT MOST NOTABLE ARE THE UROGENITAL INFECTIONS. THESE MAYBE TRANSMITTED SEXUALLY OR NEONATALLY. GENITAL INFECTIONS ARE MOSTLY CAUSED BY C. TRACHOMATIS SEROVARS D-K OF WHICH D, E & F ARE INVOLVED MOST OFTEN LEADING TO CERVICITIS, SALPINGITIS, ENDOMETRITIS, INFERTILITY & PID IN FEMALES AND URETHRITIS, PROCTITIS & EPIDIDYMITIS IN MALES.

BORDETELLA CAUSES ACUTE INFECTION OF THE RESPIRATORY TRACT COMMONLY MANIFESTING AS PERTUSSIS / WHOOPING COUGH. OF THE 10 IDENTIFIED SPECIES OF BORDETELLA, ONLY 4 SPECIES ARE OF MAJOR MEDICAL SIGNIFICANCE. B. PERTUSSIS LEADS TO VIOLENT COUGH WHEREAS B. PARAPERTUSSIS CAUSES A MILDER INFECTION. IT IS A HIGHLY COMMUNICABLE DISEASE AND AN IMPORTANT CAUSE OF INFANT MORTALITY & MORBIDITY. ACTIVE IMMUNIZATION HAS BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF PERTUSSIS.

THIS TEST IS USEFUL FOR DETECTION OF INFLUENZA A, INFLUENZA B AND H3N2.

ADENOVIRUSES (HADV) CONSIST OF NON-ENVELOPED DSDNA AND ARE A COMMON CAUSE OF RESPIRATORY ILLNESS. THE SYMPTOMS CAN RANGE FROM THE COMMON COLD TO PNEUMONIA, CROUP AND BRONCHITIS. DEPENDING ON THE TYPE, ADENOVIRUSES CAN CAUSE OTHER ILLNESSES SUCH AS GASTROENTERITIS, CONJUNCTIVITIS, CYSTITIS, AND LESS COMMONLY NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES. ADENOVIRAL INFECTIONS AFFECT INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY THAN ADULTS. SEVERE DISSEMINATED INFECTION CAN OCCUR IN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED SUBJECTS.

MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE IS AN IMPORTANT RESPIRATORY TRACT PATHOGEN ACCOUNTING FOR NEARLY 20% OF ALL CASES OF PNEUMONIA. IT MOST COMMONLY AFFECTS CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS. POSITIVE IGM RESULTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH ACUTE INFECTION.

RSV CAUSES AN INFLUENZA LIKE ILLNESS WHICH IS SEVERE IN INFANTS, YOUNG CHILDREN AND OLDER ADULTS. IT IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF BRONCHIOLITIS & PNEUMONIAE IN CHILDREN BELOW 1 YEAR OF AGE.