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Published VersionCC BY-NC V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Contaminated fingers: a potential cause of Chlamydia trachomatis-positive urine specimens
Sexually Transmitted Infections, Vol.94(1), pp.32-36
2018
PMID: 28600332
Abstract
Objectives: The detection of an STI agent in a urogenital tract (UGT) specimen from a young child is regarded as being indicative of sexual abuse. However, the probabilities of contamination events that could conceivably lead to STI positive specimens in the absence of sexual contact are unclear. The objective was to estimate the potential for fingers that have come in contact with Chlamydia trachomatis-positive urine to detectably contaminate C. trachomatis-negative urine.
Methods: The study design was based on self-experimentation. Dilutions of C. trachomatis elementary bodies (EBs) were prepared. A participant contacted an EB dilution then a urine surrogate specimen. The experiment was performed by three participants using three C. trachomatis isolates, of genotype E, F and B. Two surrogate urine contact methods were used to mimic contamination of a carer assisting with a child's urine collection. All EB dilutions and urine surrogate specimens were subjected to C. trachomatis assay and quantification in a real-time PCR-based diagnostic system.
Results: The amplimer crossing point (Cq) for EB dilutions was 10.01.6less than for corresponding finger contacted urine specimens, which corresponds to similar to 10 mu L of EB suspension transferred. This was largely independent of participant identity, C. trachomatis strain or EB dilution. Hand decontamination led to large reductions in EBs transferred, but transfer remained consistently detectable. Recent Cq data from C. trachomatis-positive clinical urine specimens were collated, and 20% clearly contained sufficient C. trachomatis to detectably contaminate another specimen by finger-mediated transfer, as in this experiment.
Conclusions: This study directly demonstrated the potential for urine contaminated fingers to convert a C. trachomatis-negative urine specimen to C. trachomatis positive as a result of contact. Accordingly, procedures for urine specimen collection, particularly from children, need to be designed to prevent contamination.
Details
- Title
- Contaminated fingers: a potential cause of Chlamydia trachomatis-positive urine specimens
- Authors
- Philip M Giffard (Corresponding Author) - Menzies School of Health ResearchRachael A. Lilliebridge - Charles Darwin UniversityJudith Wilson - Charles Darwin UniversityGerald Murray - Royal Women's HospitalSamuel Phillips - Royal Women's HospitalSepehr N Tabrizi - The University of MelbourneSuzanne M Garland - Royal Women's HospitalLouise Martin - Royal Darwin HospitalGurmeet R Singh - Charles Darwin UniversitySteven Y C Tong - Peter Doherty InstituteDeborah C Holt - Charles Darwin UniversityPatiyan Andersson - Charles Darwin University
- Publication details
- Sexually Transmitted Infections, Vol.94(1), pp.32-36
- Publisher
- BMJ Group
- Date published
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1136/sextrans-2016-053081
- ISSN
- 1472-3263; 1368-4973
- PMID
- 28600332
- Copyright note
- © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
- Data Availability
- All data are included in the publication itself.
- Grant note
- This study was funded by Australian National Health and Medical Research Council project grant 1060768. SYCT was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Fellowship 1065736.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Biomedicine; Centre for Bioinnovation
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991144231902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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