Evelin López-Corbeto1, Victoria González2, Rossie Lugo3, Belen Rivaya4, Jordi Casabona5, Lurdes Matas6. 1. Center for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS and STI of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), Generalitat de Catalunya, Badalona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain; Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona 08916, Spain. Electronic address: elcorbeto@iconcologia.net. 2. Center for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS and STI of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), Generalitat de Catalunya, Badalona, Spain; Microbiology Service, North Metropolitan Area Clinical Laboratory, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain; Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona 08916, Spain. 3. Center for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS and STI of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), Generalitat de Catalunya, Badalona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain; Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona 08916, Spain. 4. Microbiology Service, North Metropolitan Area Clinical Laboratory, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Spain; Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 5. Center for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS and STI of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), Generalitat de Catalunya, Badalona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain; Department of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Preventive Medicine, and Public Health, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona 08916, Spain. 6. Microbiology Service, North Metropolitan Area Clinical Laboratory, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain; Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have an important impact on reproductive health, highlighting the increase in Chlamydia trachomatis infection rates among young people. To reduce the costs of STI detection, the pooling strategy is beneficial for high-throughput tests in low-prevalence populations using non-invasive samples. OBJECTIVES: (1) To describe the performance of a 7-STI PCR assay using the pooling of three urine samples to detect C. trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Mycoplasma genitalium; (2) to estimate the cost saving of the pooling strategy; (3) to describe the prevalence, risk factors and coinfections of C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae and M. genitalium in young people ≤25 years in Catalonia. METHODS: cross-sectional prevalence study conducted in 2016 among young people ≤25 years of age seen in sexual and reproductive health centres throughout Catalonia from pools of three urine samples. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect clinical-epidemiological and behavioural variables. RESULTS: 1032 young people were tested. The prevalence of C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae and M. genitalium was 8.5%, 0.6% and 3.5%, respectively. The pooling strategy provided a 33% savings in reagent costs. CONCLUSIONS: The pooling strategy implemented for epidemiological studies in our context provides a savings that has an impact on the viability of STI detection programmes. In the same way, this study shows that C. trachomatis prevalence continues to increase in this population and, for the first time in Catalonia, the prevalence of M. genitalium in young people is shown.
INTRODUCTION: Bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have an important impact on reproductive health, highlighting the increase in Chlamydia trachomatis infection rates among young people. To reduce the costs of STI detection, the pooling strategy is beneficial for high-throughput tests in low-prevalence populations using non-invasive samples. OBJECTIVES: (1) To describe the performance of a 7-STI PCR assay using the pooling of three urine samples to detect C. trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Mycoplasma genitalium; (2) to estimate the cost saving of the pooling strategy; (3) to describe the prevalence, risk factors and coinfections of C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae and M. genitalium in young people ≤25 years in Catalonia. METHODS: cross-sectional prevalence study conducted in 2016 among young people ≤25 years of age seen in sexual and reproductive health centres throughout Catalonia from pools of three urine samples. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect clinical-epidemiological and behavioural variables. RESULTS: 1032 young people were tested. The prevalence of C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae and M. genitalium was 8.5%, 0.6% and 3.5%, respectively. The pooling strategy provided a 33% savings in reagent costs. CONCLUSIONS: The pooling strategy implemented for epidemiological studies in our context provides a savings that has an impact on the viability of STI detection programmes. In the same way, this study shows that C. trachomatis prevalence continues to increase in this population and, for the first time in Catalonia, the prevalence of M. genitalium in young people is shown.
Authors: A Muñoz Santa; A Bellés Bellés; E López González; I Prats Sánchez; S Mormeneo Bayo; A Bernet Sánchez; J Aramburu Arnuelos; M Font Font; L Fraile García; M Garcia González Journal: Rev Esp Quimioter Date: 2021-12-10 Impact factor: 1.553