Ease, Comfort, and Performance of the HerSwab Vaginal Self-Sampling Device for the Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae
BACKGROUND:
Many
sexually transmitted diseases are asymptomatic in the lower genital tract and
can cause upper tract complications if left untreated. Self-collected vaginal
(SCV) swabs enable the accurate detection of many sexually transmitted
infections and give women the option of collecting their own samples while
providing them with privacy and convenience.
METHODS:
We
compared SCV samples collected and transported dry using the HerSwab device to
physician-collected vaginal (PCV) Aptima swabs for the detection of Chlamydia
trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and measured patients' ease
and comfort with self-collection. A total of 189 women aged 16 to 41 years were
consented into the study and answered a standardized anonymized questionnaire
regarding self-collection with the HerSwab device.
RESULTS:
Women
reported self-collection with HerSwab to be easy (97.1%) and comfortable
(88.3%). They preferred self-collection over physician collection (80.9%) and
would consider using HerSwab for self-collection at home (79.7%). Samples of
SCV and PCV showed an overall agreement of 94.7% (κ = 0.64) for CT and of 98.4%
(κ = 0.56) for NG, and HerSwab collection detected 7 more positive patients
than PCV collection. The overall prevalence of infection was 10.6% for CT and
2.6% for NG.
CONCLUSION:
HerSwab
SCV samples are suitable for the diagnosis of CT and NG.
- 1From the St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton/McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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