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Changing from Clinician-Collected to Self-Collected Throat Swabs for Oropharyngeal Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Screening among Men Who Have Sex with Men.
Chow, Eric P F; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Williamson, Deborah A; Hall, Shauna; Chen, Marcus Y; Phillips, Tiffany R; Fortune, Ria; Maddaford, Kate; Fairley, Christopher K.
  • Chow EPF; Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia eric.chow@monash.edu.au.
  • Bradshaw CS; Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • Williamson DA; Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
  • Hall S; Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • Chen MY; Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • Phillips TR; Microbiological Diagnostic Unit, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • Fortune R; Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • Maddaford K; Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • Fairley CK; Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
J Clin Microbiol ; 58(9)2020 08 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-835425
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led many clinics to move from clinician-collected to self-collected oropharyngeal swabs for the detection of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Before this change, however, self-collection was used primarily for genital and anorectal infections, with only limited studies on the performance of self-collection of oropharyngeal swabs for oropharyngeal STI detection. The Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) changed from clinician-collected to self-collected oropharyngeal swabs for oropharyngeal gonorrhea and chlamydia screening on 16 March 2020 in order to reduce health care worker risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared the proportions of valid and positive samples for gonorrhea and chlamydia among men who have sex with men (MSM) in two time periods; the clinician collection period, between 20 January and 15 March 2020, and the self-collection period, between 16 March and 8 May 2020. A total of 4,097 oropharyngeal swabs were included. The proportion of oropharyngeal swabs with equivocal or invalid results for Neisseria gonorrhoeae was higher in the self-collection period (1.6% [24/1,497]) than in the clinician collection period (0.9% [23/2,600]) (P = 0.038), but the proportions did not differ for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis The positivity rates of oropharyngeal N. gonorrhoeae (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR], 1.07 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.85 to 1.34]) (P = 0.583) and oropharyngeal C. trachomatis (adjusted PR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.51 to 1.39]) (P = 0.504) specimens did not differ between the two periods. Self-collected oropharyngeal swabs for the detection of N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis have acceptable performance characteristics and, importantly, reduce health care worker exposure to respiratory infections.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Specimen Handling / Chlamydia Infections / Gonorrhea / Pharyngeal Diseases / Homosexuality, Male Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Adult / Humans / Male / Young adult Language: English Year: 2020 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: JCM.01215-20

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Specimen Handling / Chlamydia Infections / Gonorrhea / Pharyngeal Diseases / Homosexuality, Male Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Adult / Humans / Male / Young adult Language: English Year: 2020 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: JCM.01215-20