O22 Performance of the BD max™ CT/GC/TV assay for detection of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas

Background Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas infections remain highly prevalent with annual WHO estimates of 106, 107 and 276 million cases respectively. Screening for all 3 infections in a single assay could improve control efforts. Aim This study assessed the performance of the BD MAX ™ CT/GC/TV (BD MAX) for detection of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas DNA compared to routine diagnostic methods. Methods Urine, patient-collected vaginal and endocervical specimens were obtained from 1854 women. BD MAX assay results were compared to TV culture (InPouch), TV wet mount, Aptima AC2 and TV assays and the BD Viper ™ CTQ x /GCQ x assays. Results Prevalence for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas was 7.3, 2.3 and 14.7%, respectively. Sensitivity estimates ranged from 92.2–99.2, 94.9–95.1 and 92.9–96.1 for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas, respectively. Specificity estimates for each test were ≥98.6. Of the 128 out of 1758 (7.3%) women with chlamydia infections, concomitant gonococcal and trichomonal infections were present in 11.7 and 12.5%, respectively. The sensitivity of the assay for chlamydia when co-infections were present ranged from 92.6–96.1%. Similarly the sensitivity of the gonorrhoea and trichomonas detection was not affected by the presence of concomitant chlamydial infections with estimates ranging from 93.8–100% and 89.5–100%, respectively. Discussion The performance of the BD MAX assay was similar to that of other molecular diagnostic assays. A substantial proportion of women with chlamydia are co-infected with gonorrhoea and/or trichomonas. Trichomonas was more prevalent than chlamydia and gonorrhoea combined. Detection of all three infections in a single assay may improve identification and treatment of these STI.