Abstract Background: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections transmitted from an infected person to an uninfected person through sexual contact. STDs can be caused by bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Examples include gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, chlamydia, and syphilis. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the immunochromatographic (IC) strip with the molecular assay in order to assess the sensitivity and specificity of each method for detecting Candida albicans , Trichomonas vaginalis , and Neisseria gonorrhea in the Karbala and Babylon cities. Materials and Methods: From November 2022 to the end of June 2023, 300 patients (150 male and 150 female) seeking treatment for abnormal vaginal discharge, itching, dysuria, dyspareunia, urethritis, and prostatitis at private clinics in Karbala and Babylon cities participated in a cross-sectional study. The entire patient database was contained in a single questionnaire. Using an immunochromatographic kit for detection of C. albicans , T. vaginalis , and N. gonorrhea . Results: The current study compared the sensitivity and specificity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and IC strips, which finding that the sensitivity was 91.76%, specificity 94.91%, and accuracy 93.06% for Candida albicanis , and the sensitivity and specificity of both PCR and IC strip for detection of T. vaginalis , showed that the value of sensitivity was 87.23%, specificity 97.93% and accuracy 94.44%, as well as the sensitivity and specificity of both PCR and IC strip for detection of N. gonorrhea , presented that the value of sensitivity was 41.67%, specificity 95.37% and accuracy 81.94%. Conclusion: The new IC strip has more sensitivity and specificity than routine diagnostic tests for C. albicans , T. vaginalis , and N. gonorrheae .
Jabur et al. (Thu,) studied this question.