Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2006 Dec;82 Suppl 5(Suppl 5):v29-32.
doi: 10.1136/sti.2006.021865.

Evaluation of a rapid point-of-care test for the detection of gonococcal infection among female sex workers in Benin

M Alary  1 , C Gbenafa-Agossa, G Aïna, M Ndour, A C Labbé, D Fortin, M Steele, R W Peeling
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Evaluation of a rapid point-of-care test for the detection of gonococcal infection among female sex workers in Benin

M Alary et al. Sex Transm Infect. 2006 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the validity of the PATH (Seattle, Washington, USA) GC-Check rapid test, a point-of-care immunochromatographic strip test, in the detection of gonococcal infection among female sex workers (FSWs) in Benin.

Methods: Women consulting consecutively at two FSW-dedicated clinics in Cotonou and Porto Novo (Benin) were recruited over three, 1-month periods between October 2003 and July 2004. After written informed consent, participants were administered a short interview and underwent a speculum examination where two cervical swabs were collected (in a subset of women, a vaginal swab was also collected). One cervical swab and the vaginal swab were immediately tested with the rapid test. The other cervical swab was frozen at -20 degrees C for at most four weeks and then transported to Québec (Canada), where it was tested with the Roche Amplicor CT/NG PCR assay. Samples positive for gonococcal infection were confirmed using a 16SrRNA PCR assay.

Results: 1084 FSWs (median age 29 years) participated in the study, of whom 50 (4.6%) had a confirmed gonococcal infection. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the rapid test on cervical samples were 70.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 55.4% to 82.1%), 97.2% (95% CI 96.0% to 98.1%), 54.7% and 98.5%, respectively. The sensitivity of the rapid test on vaginal swabs among 759 women (37 positives for gonococcal infection) was significantly lower than with the cervical swab (54.1%, p = 0.008), whereas the specificity was comparable (98.2%, p = 0.13).

Conclusions: The PATH GC-Check test may be as efficient as a gold standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for treating gonococcal infection when taking into account the proportion of women who do not return for their test results. In clinics serving populations with moderate prevalence of this infection, it could significantly reduce over-treatment compared to the syndromic approach.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: none declared

References

    1. Wasserheit J N. The significance and scope of reproductive tract infections among Third World women. Int J Gynecol Obstet 1989(Suppl 3)145–168. - PubMed
    1. Mukenge‐Tshibaka L, Alary M, Lowndes C M.et al Syndromic versus laboratory‐based diagnosis of cervical infections among female sex workers in Benin: implications of nonattendance for return visits. Sex Transm Dis 200229324–330. - PubMed
    1. Gift T L, Pate M S, Hook E W., 3rdet al The rapid test paradox: when fewer cases detected lead to more cases treated: a decision analysis of tests for Chlamydia trachomatis. Sex Transm Dis 199926232–240. - PubMed
    1. Dallabetta G A, Gerbase A C, Holmes K K. Problems, solutions, and challenges in syndromic management of sexually transmitted diseases. Sex Transm Infect 199874(Suppl 1)S1–11. - PubMed
    1. Alary M, Baganizi E, Guedeme A.et al Evaluation of clinical algorithms for the diagnosis of gonococcal and chlamydial infections among men with urethral discharge or dysuria and women with vaginal discharge in Benin. Sex Transm Infect 199874(Suppl 1)S44–S49. - PubMed

Publication types