The importance of knowing the pathogens that cause sexually transmitted and vaginal infections
 

The global prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is measured at more than 1 million new cases every day, most of which are asymptomatic. Accordingly, there are approximately 374 million new infections each year, which include three of the most common curable STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis [1]. These three STIs, as well as the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium, can lead to complications including cervicitis, urethritis, preterm labor, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). They can also increase the risk of contracting HIV.

Research to better characterize and identify vaginal microbiota is also important for the health of women, their fetuses, and newborns. Globally, there are approximately 1 billion women affected each year by urogenital infections, including vaginitis. Bacterial vaginosis alone affects 21.2 million women annually and is the most common vaginal condition affecting women ages 15–44 [2]. This underscores the importance of detecting common prevalent STIs and vaginal pathogens to understand outbreaks and disease etiology.

Explore STI and vaginal health testing products
 

Common pathogens that cause sexually transmitted and vaginal infections
 

Benefits of STI and vaginal health molecular testing
 

Diagnostic PCR testing

Diagnostic PCR (molecular) testing is considered the gold standard for pathogen detection and accuracy of results. The superior sensitivity of a molecular test can detect low pathogen loads. Molecular testing also has the benefit of scalability. Most lab-based PCR tests can accommodate 94 to 384 samples (including controls) simultaneously on a single plate.

Implementing PCR-based molecular testing improves accuracy and shortens time-to-results.

Real-time PCR technology has significant advantages over other methods for identifying infectious disease pathogens. Traditional methods like culturing, immunodiagnostics, and microscopy can be inaccurate, subjective, or prone to contamination and often require repeat testing or reflex testing. Fastidious microorganisms often cannot be grown or detected using traditional methods, and long sample processing times can delay time-to-results. Molecular tests for relevant pathogens may be unavailable or lack flexibility.

Multiplex testing

Multiplex testing simultaneously differentiates sexually transmitted or vaginal diseases and helps identify cases of co-infection. Multiplex assay panels can go from two targets to dozens, making it an efficient technique.

Testing methods
 

Educational Resources