Acceptability of self-taken vaginal swabs and first-catch urine samples for the diagnosis of urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae with an amplified DNA assay in young women attending a public health sexually transmitted disease clinic.
OBJECTIVE
Public health efforts are needed to encourage young women to get tested for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC).


OBJECTIVE
To assess the acceptability and feasibility of 2 noninvasive diagnostic approaches.


METHODS
Participants of this cross-sectional survey were 413 young women (age 16-35) who underwent STD testing by self-taken vaginal swab (SVS) and a first-catch urine sample (FCU) by nucleic acid amplification test (BDProbTec) and filled out a questionnaire.


RESULTS
CT and GC were diagnosed in 10.9% (45/413) and 1.5% (6/413). Eleven percent of the participants who never previously had an STD examination (68%) tested STD positive. SVS and FCU were almost uniformly reported as easy to perform and preferred above gynecologic examination.


CONCLUSIONS
Using SVS combined with FCU can be an important enhancing tool in public health approaches. Acceptability among potential patients is high, enabling the noninvasive detection of STDs that would otherwise remain undetected and untreated.
Department of Infectious Diseases, South Limburg Public Health Service, Heerlen, The Netherlands. hoebec@ggdozl.nl
Christian J P A
CJ
Hoebe
Christiaan W
CW
Rademaker
Elfi E H G
EE
Brouwers
Henriëtte L G
HL
ter Waarbeek
Jan E A M
JE
van Bergen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000652:urine; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009426:Netherlands; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012648:Self Care; D015231:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000652:urine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016482:Urinalysis; D014626:Vaginal Smears
D004269:DNA, Bacterial