Neisseria gonorrhoeae NAAT ? a problem down under
David M. Whiley, John W. Tapsall, Michael D. Nissen and Theo P. Sloots
Microbiology Australia
28(1) 9 - 11
Published: 01 March 2007
Abstract
Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are used worldwide for the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, either in conjunction with or in place of traditional bacterial culture techniques. There are numerous advantages of gonococcal NAATs, including increased sensitivity, that a viable organism is not needed for detection, and they can be used effectively on non-invasive specimens such as urine and self-collected specimens. For these reasons, NAATs have been particularly useful for patients in remote regions of Australia where sexual health services may not be available and where religious or cultural restrictions otherwise restrict opportunities for specimen collection. Australian studies have been at the forefront of investigating the use of self-collected NAAT specimens and particularly successful at introducing the use of tampon self-collected specimens in remote populations of Indigenous Australians.https://doi.org/10.1071/MA07007
© CSIRO 2007