Comparing urine specimens, vaginal swabs, and endocervical specimens to detect chlamydia trachomatis by using PCR

ABSTRACT

to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and to compare the abilities of three different techniques of collecting specimens [urine, vaginal swab, and endoeervical swab] to identify a positive specimen. Cross-sectional. Setting: Al Zahraa University Hospital a total of 70 women were enrolled in the study, the women provided first-void urine and self-collected vaginal swabs. The overall prevalence of genital C. trachomatis infection was 20.0% and 70% in women consulting without [G0] and with [G1] genital symptoms, respectively [Table 2]. The rate of detection of Chiamydia using PCR in urine samples did not differ significantly between the 2 groups although it showed a higher detection rate in the other sympyomatizing cases. The detection rate in vaginal introital swabs and endocervical swabs were significantly higher in cases than control, p=0.045 and 0.031 respectively. When both vaginal and endocervical swabs are combined together the difference was extremely significant [p=0.0016]. Self-collected vaginal swabs identified the highest number of positive test results among single specimens, with the combined cervix-vagina results identifying the highest number of positive results: