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Self‐obtained vaginal swabs for PCR chlamydia testing: A practical alternative
Author(s) -
ROSE Sally B.,
LAWTON Beverley A.,
BROMHEAD Collette,
MACDONALD E. Jane,
LUND Kim A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-828x.2007.00768.x
Subject(s) - chlamydia , vagina , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , immunology , surgery
This study shows that given a choice, New Zealand women at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI) opt to provide a self‐taken vaginal swab over a clinician‐taken sample for STI testing. Self‐obtained vaginal swabs have previously been shown to have equal sensitivity and specificity to endocervical swabs and greater sensitivity than urine for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We suggest that self‐obtained vaginal swabs should be a readily available option offered to women for chlamydia testing by PCR in New Zealand.