Current and Future Trends in the Laboratory Diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Infections

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to exert a considerable public health and social burden globally, particularly for developing countries. Due to the high prevalence of asymptomatic infections and the limitations of symptom-based (syndromic) diagnosis, confirmation of infection using laboratory tools is essential to choose the most appropriate course of treatment and to screen at-risk groups. Numerous laboratory tests and platforms have been developed for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis, genital mycoplasmas, herpesviruses, and human papillomavirus. Point-of-care testing is now a possibility, and microfluidic and high-throughput omics technologies promise to revolutionize the diagnosis of STIs. The scope of this paper is to provide an updated overview of the current laboratory diagnostic tools for these infections, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and point-of-care adaptability. The diagnostic applicability of the latest molecular and biochemical approaches is also discussed.

Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Sexual Behavioral Factors of Patients with Sexually Transmitted Infections Attending a Hospital in Southern Italy

“…According to ISS, the most frequently registered STIs in Italy from 1991 to 2017 were anogenital HPV infection (42.4%), latent syphilis (8.4%), genital herpes (7.3%) and non-chlamydial non-gonococcal bacterial cervicovaginitis (7.1%) [ 4 ]. Regarding asymptomatic STIs cases, previous Italian studies reported high incidence in the female general population as well as in the HIV subgroup [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Bridging the gap between development of point-of-care nucleic acid testing and patient care for sexually transmitted infections

“…Finally, we offer our perspectives on the development of POC tests with the goal of facilitating future developments. Our article therefore complements current reviews that put emphasis on either technology development 14 or STIs, [15][16][17][18][19] and together offer a holistic view on bringing NAAT-based STI POCT technologies to patient care.…”

High prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and risk factors among HIV-positive individuals in Yunnan, China

“…The symptom-based management of STIs is limited, and current and future trends are the laboratory diagnosis of STIs. Point-of-care testing and microfluidic and high-throughput omics technologies promise to revolutionize the diagnosis of STIs [ 42 ]. Therefore, strategies to screen all HIV-positive individuals for HSV-2, syphilis, MG, and so on would be necessary.…”