New Recommendations for Lab-Based Sexually Transmitted Disease Diagnosis

Target Audience: Primary care providers, clinical laboratory directors and staff, disease control personnel

Background and Objective

The CDC has updated its 2002 recommendations for the laboratory confirmation of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections.

Key Points

Although much of the report pertains primarily to clinical laboratory practices, some changes are important for clinicians to note, including these:

• Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are now the preferred means of diagnosing chlamydia and gonorrhea because of the sensitivity of the tests and ease of specimen collection. Genital infections are best evaluated with vaginal swabs from women and fir…