Researchers at Johns Hopkins have launched the first government-sponsored study to measure the effectiveness of a Web-and community-based home test kit for common sexually transmitted diseases, such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea.
The study will measure how many women make use of the kit, determine disease prevalence among respondents, record how effectively test results can be returned to the participants, and assess how well respondents who test positive follow through with therapy.
The overall aim of the researchers is to replicate the successful introduction of widely used home pregnancy tests and lower the rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young women, who are most at risk of contracting an STD and least likely to undergo regular check-ups for disease prevention.
"Many women are left unaware for years that they have an STD because symptoms do not commonly appear for long periods after infection," said study lead investigator and infectious disease specialist Charlotte Gaydos, M.S., Dr.P.H., associate professor of medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Indeed, Chlamydia is 80 to 90 percent without any symptoms of infection, and it can take two to three years before infected women develop signs of pelvic inflammatory disease, a condition that can leave a woman infertile from resulting scar tissue."
Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the study test kit will be available only in Maryland, and at participating pharmacies and some recreation centers. The kit consists of a packaged, sterile vaginal swab and instructions for using it. Also enclosed are sealed containers for the self-collected swabs and return envelopes with postage paid for mailing the samples back to a laboratory at Johns Hopkins, where they will be tested.
Results will be available within two weeks via a secured telephone answering service that uses kit numbers and passwords. For women who test positive for Chlamydia or gonorrhea, a referral is also provided to a local community health clinic for treatment, as part of the confirmation telephone message.