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. 2021 Jun 1;48(6):e73-e76.
doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001299.

A Comparison of US Clinical Laboratory Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Testing Practices Before and After the 2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Testing Recommendations

Alissa Davis  1 , Anne Gaynor  2
Affiliations

A Comparison of US Clinical Laboratory Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Testing Practices Before and After the 2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Testing Recommendations

Alissa Davis et al. Sex Transm Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Adherence to recommended laboratory testing practices is crucial for sexually transmitted infection prevention and control. The objective of this article is to compare Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) testing practices of US clinical laboratories in 2013 before the updated 2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations and in 2015 after the updated recommendations.

Methods: A total of 236 clinical laboratories participated in surveys about their 2013 and 2015 CT and NG testing practices, including questions on specimen types collected and assays used.

Results: There was an increase of 5 laboratories offering CT nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) from 2013 to 2015 and an increase of 5 laboratories offering NG NAAT. There was a net increase of 3 laboratories accepting urine for CT and NG NAAT, the preferred specimen type for male individuals. There was not a net increase in the total number of laboratories accepting vaginal swabs for CT NAAT (n = 89 in 2013 and 2015), the preferred specimen type for female individuals, but there was an increase of 3 laboratories accepting vaginal swabs for NG NAAT. The number of laboratories performing NG susceptibility testing decreased from 100 in 2013 to 89 in 2015 (χ2 = 1.07, P > 0.10).

Conclusions: There were no major changes in testing practices in the 2-year period from 2013 to 2015. However, there were some small shifts, including increases in the use of NAATs, acceptance of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-preferred specimen types for CT/NG, and changes in usage of assays by manufacturer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest and Sources of Funding: A.D. is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01DA044853) for career development. She also has received consulting fees from the Association of Public Health Laboratories. For the remaining authors, no conflicts of interest were declared. This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 5NU60OE000103, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
States represented in both 2013 and 2015 surveys (n = 236).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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