Laboratory investigation: sexually transmitted diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases are among the most common infectious diseases and pose a major public health concern globally. Unfortunately, such diseases are often asymptomatic, and are left untreated for long periods of time-resulting in significant health care costs and morbidity rates. In recent years, the advancement in diagnostic testing has been tremendous, especially at the molecular level of disease. In the paper to follow, we will attempt to examine diagnostic techniques traditionally used (microscopic examination and culture) to identify STDs and compare them to newly introduced techniques (including DNA amplification and hybridization) that provide higher sensitivity and specificity, as well as shorter result reporting time.