Population prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in a high HIV burden district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Implications for HIV epidemic control

First-void urine samples showed significantly higher detection rates of HPV-specific IgG antibodies compared to midstream urine, confirming the necessity of capturing the initial stream. The study found no significant difference between 10 mL and 20 mL collection volumes, indicating flexibility in device specifications for self-collection.

The importance of first-void urine for assessing HPV-specific antibodies: A comparison with midstream urine — Van Caesbroeck et al., Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · source ↗

• first-void
• sti
• self-collection
• serology
• hpv
• urine

The study found that self-collection of dried blood spots and other samples using at-home kits was a useful and cost-effective method for screening a large cohort for sexually transmitted infections outside a clinic. This demonstrates the feasibility of decentralised, patient-centric sampling for population-level infectious disease surveillance.

Prevalence of chlamydial, gonococcal and syphilis positivity by anatomical site and sex via self-collected biospecimens using at-home testing kits among a large and diverse cohort of men and women enrolled in the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS) in the USA — Mimiaga et al., Sexually transmitted infections (paywalled) · source ↗

• blood
• sti
• dbs
• self-collection
• dried
• serology
• bd-microtainer
• urine

This retrospective analysis of over 600,000 online postal self-sampling orders found that whilst return rates for urine samples were moderate to high, the return of processable blood samples was significantly lower and varied by age and deprivation level.

Factors associated with the online postal self-sampling testing cascade in England, 2022: a retrospective observational study of routinely collected service-level healthcare data — Gibbs et al., Sexually transmitted infections (paywalled) · source ↗

• blood
• sti
• self-collection
• serology
• urine

In a decentralised Eswatini clinic, molecular testing on the Xpert platform of self-collected urine and swabs found a 31.7% prevalence of Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, or Trichomonas, with 20.8% of these asymptomatic. Although limited by a cross-sectional design, this shows the feasibility of patient-centric sampling for sexually transmitted infection screening in resource-limited settings.

High Burden of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Routine Decentralised HIV Care Setting in Eswatini: A Cross-Sectional Study — Kerschberger et al., Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · source ↗

• sti
• self-collection
• serology
• hpv
• urine

The bivalent HPV vaccine showed 100 percent effectiveness against vaccine types 16 and 18 seven years post-vaccination in Thai schoolgirls, but only 32.8 percent effectiveness against other high-risk types, indicating limited cross-protection. The study used first-void urine self-collection for HPV DNA detection, demonstrating a scalable, non-invasive approach for vaccine effectiveness monitoring in decentralised settings.

Effectiveness of HPV vaccine as part of national immunization program for preventing HPV infection in Thai schoolgirls after seven years post-vaccination — Nilyanimit et al., Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · source ↗

• first-void
• sti
• self-collection
• serology
• hpv
• urine