Advancing COVID-19 diagnostics: rapid detection of intact SARS-CoV-2 using viability RT-PCR assay.

Unlabelled: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Commonly used methods for both clinical diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and management of infected patients involve the detection of viral RNA, but the presence of infectious virus particles is unknown. Viability PCR (v-PCR) uses a photoreactive dye to bind non-infectious RNA, ideally resulting in the detection of RNA only from intact virions.

Incident urogenital and anorectal in women: the role of sexual exposure and autoinoculation: a multicentre observational study (FemCure).

Background: Anorectal infections with (CT) are common in women visiting STI outpatient clinics. We here evaluated the risk posed by sexual exposure and by alternate anatomical site infection for incident anorectal and urogenital CT.

Methods: Prospective multicentre cohort study, FemCure.

How to Count Our Microbes? The Effect of Different Quantitative Microbiome Profiling Approaches.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has instigated the research on the role of the microbiome in health and disease. The compositional nature of such microbiome datasets makes it however challenging to identify those microbial taxa that are truly associated with an intervention or health outcome. Quantitative microbiome profiling overcomes the compositional structure of microbiome sequencing data by integrating absolute quantification of microbial abundances into the NGS data.

Oropharyngeal in women; spontaneous clearance and cure after treatment (FemCure).

Objectives: Women attending STI clinics are not routinely tested for oropharyngeal (CT) infections. We aimed to assess spontaneous clearance of oropharyngeal CT and cure after antibiotic treatment in women.

Methods: Women with vaginal or rectal CT (n=560) were recruited at STI clinics in 2016-2017, as part of the FemCure study (prospective cohort study).

Treatment Effectiveness of Azithromycin and Doxycycline in Uncomplicated Rectal and Vaginal Chlamydia trachomatis Infections in Women: A Multicenter Observational Study (FemCure).

Background: Rectal infections with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) are prevalent in women visiting a sexually transmitted infection outpatient clinic, but it remains unclear what the most effective treatment is. We assessed the effectiveness of doxycycline and azithromycin for the treatment of rectal and vaginal chlamydia in women.

Methods: This study is part of a prospective multicenter cohort study (FemCure).

Viability-PCR Shows That NAAT Detects a High Proportion of DNA from Non-Viable Chlamydia trachomatis.

Objectives: According to the current guidelines for laboratory diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are the preferred diagnostic method for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections. However, NAATs amplify the available target DNA without discriminating between DNA originating from viable or non-viable CT. Assessing CT viability will provide more insights in the clinical and public health relevance of a CT positive test result.

Design of the FemCure study: prospective multicentre study on the transmission of genital and extra-genital Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women receiving routine care.

Background: In women, anorectal infections with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) are about as common as genital CT, yet the anorectal site remains largely untested in routine care. Anorectal CT frequently co-occurs with genital CT and may thus often be treated co-incidentally. Nevertheless, post-treatment detection of CT at both anatomic sites has been demonstrated.