Diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Infections: Current and Future Landscape

Course overview

This lecture is designed to provide a broad overview and a brief update on testing and diagnosis of common sexually transmitted infections (STI). It will cover the current CDC 2021 screening, testing, and treatment recommendations for common STI pathogens namely, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Mycoplasma genitalium. The lecture will compare the benefits and limitations of the different testing modalities for the common STI pathogens. Emergence of drug resistance for specific STI pathogens will be discussed. Lastly, an overview of molecular diagnostics and their advantages will be presented. Learning Objectives: Recognize the importance of screening and testing for common sexually transmitted infections (STIs); Discuss the clinical presentation and organisms associated with STIs; Describe the testing methodologies for common STIs