Diagnostic value of the QuickStripe™ chlamydia rapid test among high-risk women in Jakarta

Abstract

Background Difficulty in diagnosing Chlamydia trachomatis infections, including chlamydial cervicitis, is a notable challenge in managing sexually transmitted infections in Indonesia. Gram staining is usually done to make a presumptive diagnosis despite its low sensitivity and specificity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is considered the gold standard, but it is costly, technically demanding, and difficult to be performed in low-resource settings. Thus, rapid point-of-care tests with high sensitivity and specificity are needed to diagnose chlamydial cervicitis. Methods This cross-sectional study included symptomatic and asymptomatic high-risk women in the Mulya Jaya Sex Workers Rehabilitation Center in June to July 2020. Endocervical swabs from each participant were taken for QuickStripe™ chlamydia rapid test (CRT), Gram staining, and real-time PCR. Results A total of 41 participants were enrolled. The sensitivity and specificity for QuickStripe™ CRT were 73.6% (95% CI: 48.80%–90.85%) and 81.82% (95% CI: 59.72%–94.81%). Positive and negative predictive values were 77.78% (95% CI: 58.09%–89.84%) and 78.05% (95% CI: 62.39%–89.44%). Proportion of chlamydial cervicitis in study participants based on real-time PCR was 46.3%. Conclusions We concluded that QuickStripe™ CRT can be recommended as an alternative diagnostic test for high-risk populations in Jakarta.

Rapid Antigen Tests during the COVID-19 Era in Korea and Their Implementation as a Detection Tool for Other Infectious Diseases

“…As one of the available rapid antigen tests for Chlamydia infection, the QuickStripe™ Chlamydia Ag (Savyon Diagnostics Ltd., Ashdod, Israel), a rapid chromatographic immunoassay for the qualitative detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in the female cervical swab, male urethral swab, and male urine specimens [ 88 ] was reported to be effective, particularly in a high-risk population. With a turnaround time of 10 min, the QuickStripe™ Chlamydia Ag demonstrated a sensitivity of 73.6% and specificity of 81.82%, with positive and negative predictive values of 77.78% and 78.05%, respectively [ 89 ]. A systematic review on the clinical performance of RATs for Chlamydia infection, however, reported a pooled sensitivity of 53%, 37%, and 63% for cervical swabs, vaginal swabs, and male urine, respectively, although the specificity was considered high (99%, 97%, and 98%, respectively) [ 90 ].…”