Concordance between self-sampling and standar endocervical sample collection to identify sexual transmission infections in an urban-rural area of Peru

Abstract

With the objective of evaluating the concordance between the self-sampling of vaginal samples and the standard collection of endocervical samples for the identification of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis and Candida spp. carried out by health personnel in women from an urban-rural area of Peru, a prospective and cross-sectional study was carried out in 206 women of childbearing age, we identified some sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia trachomatis or Trichomonas vaginalis in 9/206 (4.4%). We obtained a high degree of agreement in the identification of Candida spp. (k = 0.97), Chlamydia trachomatis (k=0.92) and Trichomonas vaginalis by microscopy (k=1.00), and a considerable agreement for the identification of Trichomonas vaginalis by culture (k=0.66). The self-sampling technique can be used to identify some sexually transmitted infections in urban-rural populations.