National STIQ Day 2022

14^th January, National STIQ day was launched to get people thinking about the importance of sexual health and encourage everyone to get regular health checks.

More than 30 different bacteria, viruses and parasites are known to be transmitted through sexual contact. Eight of these pathogens are linked to the greatest incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STI’s). STI’s are spread predominantly by sexual contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex. Some STI’s can also be transmitted from mother-to-child during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.

Any individual can catch an STI regardless of what age they are, their sexuality or how many sexual partners they have, as it only takes one sexual encounter to increase the risk of catching an infection. The importance of regular STI testing allows individuals to get peace of mind and take control of their sexual health as many infections don’t present symptoms and it’s advised that testing is required if individuals are concerned about their health, present symptoms or change sexual partner. Regular screening can aid in detecting an infection in the early stages and help to reduce the risk of such complications.

The increase in STI’s underline the need for urgent action which many reports have highlighted the need of ongoing inaction and development of strategies to improve sexual health. It has been widely noted by the CDC that over 20 million new STI’s are detected each year. ⁽¹⁾ Public Health England also reported that 468,342 diagnoses of STIs had been reported in England in 2019 – a 5% increase from 2018 with a 26% increase in gonorrhoea infections, 10% increase in syphilis and 7% increase in the number of consultations at national sexual health services. It’s also widely noted that chlamydia testing, which is most common in young adults has declined by 13% since 2015 and 2% of all individuals tested had received a positive diagnosis. ^{(2) (3)}

Here at Randox, we offer solutions for clinical laboratories, point of care testing solutions and home STI testing kits for convenience and discretion. Randox provides the broadest STI testing menu on the market. Detecting 10 bacterial, viral, and protozoan infections, the STI test provides a comprehensive sexual health profile. The CE-marked STI Array provides the identification of co-infections, often in asymptomatic individuals and enable antibiotic stewardship.

The Randox test presents excellent precision, specificity, sensitivity and accuracy for STI diagnoses, which reduces the risk of false reporting and unnecessary confirmatory tests. The Randox simultaneous multiplex test means smaller sample volumes are required, enabling faster throughput and rapid patient diagnosis saving time and money for clinical and laboratories.

The Randox STI Multiplex test detects the following infections:

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG)
Trichomonas vaginalis (TV)
Mycoplasma genitalium (MG)
Treponema pallidum (Syphilis) (TP)
Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)
Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2)
Haemophilus ducreyi (HD)
Mycoplasma hominis (MH)
Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU)

Does your laboratory or clinic carry out STI testing? Our molecular analyser, the Bosch Vivalytic and Evidence Investigator, powered by patented Biochip Array Technology, could be the diagnostic solution you need!

Solutions for the Laboratory

54 SAMPLES ● 1 TEST ● 10 INFECTIONS

The Evidence Investigator is a compact semi-automated benchtop analyser ideal for medium throughput laboratories.

Sample Type: Swab or Urine
Sample Volume: 300 μl
Detection Method: Randox Biochip Technology (end-point PCR)
Time to Result: 5 hours 30 minutes

STI Testing at the Point of Care

1 SAMPLE ● 1 TEST ● 10 INFECTIONS

The Bosch Vivalytic enables sample to answer, cartridge based molecular diagnostics at

the point of care. Powered by Randox Biochip Technology.

Sample Type: Swab or Urine
Sample Volume: 300 μl
Detection Method: Randox Biochip Technology (end-point PCR)
Time to Result: 2 hours 30 minutes

For more information about our STI Arrays or Vivalytic email: marketing@randox.com

https://www.cdc.gov/std/life-stages-populations/adolescents-youngadults.htm
https://www.tht.org.uk/news/rise-stis-underlines-need-urgent-action
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (who.int)