TY - JOUR
T1 - Adolescents may accurately self-collect pharyngeal and rectal clinical specimens for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection
AU - Adolescent Medicine Trials Network (ATN) CARES Team
AU - Vavala, Gabriella
AU - Goldbeck, Cameron
AU - Bristow, Claire C.
AU - Stafylis, Chrysovalantis
AU - Adamson, Paul C.
AU - Polanco, Dianna
AU - Ocasio, Manuel A.
AU - Fournier, Jasmine
AU - Romero-Espinoza, Adriana
AU - Flynn, Risa
AU - Bolan, Robert
AU - Fernandez, M. Isabel
AU - Swendeman, Dallas
AU - Comulada, W. Scott
AU - Lee, Sung Jae
AU - Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane
AU - Klausner, Jeffrey D.
AU - Ramos, Wilson
AU - Koussa, Maryann
AU - Kozina, Leslie
AU - Weiss, W. Rob
AU - Brookmeyer, Ron
AU - Almirol, Ellen
AU - Abdalian, Sue Ellen
AU - Bryson, Yvonne
AU - Nielsen- Saines, Karin
AU - Kerin, Tara
AU - Cortado, Ruth
AU - Arnold, Elizabeth Mayfield
AU - Milburn, Norweeta
AU - Reback, Cathy
AU - Lightfoot, Marguerita
AU - Urauchi, Stacey
AU - Kapogiannis, Bill
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Vavala et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Background The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the benefits of telemedicine. Self-collected specimens are a promising alternative to clinician-collected specimens when in-person testing is not feasible. In this study, we assessed the adequacy of self-collected pharyngeal and rectal specimens for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae among individuals undergoing chlamydia and gonorrhea screening. Methods We used data from a large cohort study that included male and female adolescents between the ages of 12–24 years. We considered self-collected specimens adequate for clinical use if the human synthase gene (a control target of the assay) was detected in the specimen. Results In total, 2,458 specimens were included in the analysis. The human synthase gene was detected in 99.2% (2,439/2,458) of all self-collected specimens, 99.5% (1,108/1,114) of the pharyngeal specimens, and 99.0% (1,331/1,344) of the rectal specimens. Conclusion Self-collected pharyngeal and rectal specimens demonstrated a very high proportion of human gene presence, suggesting that self-collection was accurate. A limitation of this study is that the sample adequacy control detects the presence or absence of the human hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene, but it does not indicate the specific anatomic origin of the human hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene. Self-collected specimens may be an appropriate alternative to clinician-collected specimens.
AB - Background The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the benefits of telemedicine. Self-collected specimens are a promising alternative to clinician-collected specimens when in-person testing is not feasible. In this study, we assessed the adequacy of self-collected pharyngeal and rectal specimens for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae among individuals undergoing chlamydia and gonorrhea screening. Methods We used data from a large cohort study that included male and female adolescents between the ages of 12–24 years. We considered self-collected specimens adequate for clinical use if the human synthase gene (a control target of the assay) was detected in the specimen. Results In total, 2,458 specimens were included in the analysis. The human synthase gene was detected in 99.2% (2,439/2,458) of all self-collected specimens, 99.5% (1,108/1,114) of the pharyngeal specimens, and 99.0% (1,331/1,344) of the rectal specimens. Conclusion Self-collected pharyngeal and rectal specimens demonstrated a very high proportion of human gene presence, suggesting that self-collection was accurate. A limitation of this study is that the sample adequacy control detects the presence or absence of the human hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene, but it does not indicate the specific anatomic origin of the human hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene. Self-collected specimens may be an appropriate alternative to clinician-collected specimens.
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U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0255878
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0255878
M3 - Article
C2 - 34570799
AN - SCOPUS:85115958508
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 16
JO - PloS one
JF - PloS one
IS - 9 September
M1 - e0255878
ER -