Gen-Probe (San Diego, Calif.) has been granted FDA approval for its APTIMA Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) assay, an amplified nucleic acid test that detects CT on a stand-alone basis.

The company's main amplified sexually transmitted disease (STD) test is the APTIMA Combo 2 Assay, which simultaneously detects CT and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The AP-TIMA CT assay, like the Combo 2 assay, can detect CT from a wide variety of sample types including clinician-collected endocervical, vaginal, and urethral swab specimens; patient-collected vaginal swab specimens; and female and male urine specimens.