Vaginal pH Estimation, an Additional Tool for RTI/STI Community Screening.

Area of Science:

• Gynecology
• Microbiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Syndromic management is a common approach for Sexually Transmitted Infections/Reproductive Tract Infections (STI/RTI).
• Limitations exist in solely relying on syndromic case management for accurate diagnosis.
• There is a need for supplementary tools to improve community screening for STIs/RTIs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine laboratory evidence of infection in STI/RTI cases managed syndromically.
• To evaluate vaginal pH estimation as a supplementary tool for community screening of STI/RTI cases.

Main Methods:

• The study included STI cases managed via a syndromic approach at a dedicated clinic.
• Vaginal pH was measured using pH strips, categorizing cases based on pH values.
• Laboratory tests were performed to assess evidence of infection in different pH groups.

Main Results:

• Syndromic approach alone identified laboratory evidence of infection in 78% of cases.
• The combined approach (syndromic + vaginal pH) showed a positive predictability of 92%.
• The combined approach demonstrated 75% sensitivity and 79% specificity.

Conclusions:

• The combined approach detected laboratory evidence of infection in 92% of RTI/STI cases, a significant increase from 78% with the syndromic approach alone.
• Vaginal pH strips are user-friendly and can serve as an effective additional tool for community screening of RTI/STI.