The Gonorrhea test contains 1 test with 1 biomarker.
Description: The gonorrhea urine test is used to determine if a person has been infected with the sexually transmitted infection. It can be used to diagnose a gonorrhea infection for treatment.
Also Known As: GC Test, Neisseria Gonorrhoeae test, Gonorrhoeae test
Collection Method: Urine Collection
Specimen Type: Urine
Test Preparation: The patient should not have urinated for at least one hour prior to specimen collection. Female patients should not cleanse the labial area prior to providing the specimen.
2 mL urine using APTIMA® Urine Specimen Collection Kit.
Alternative Specimen(s)
Urine (no preservatives): 2 mL of urine, specimen must be transferred into the APTIMA® Urine Transport Medium within 24 hours of collection and before being assayed • ThinPrep® vial • SurePath™ vial
Urine: Patient should not have urinated within one hour prior to collection. Female patients should not cleanse the labial area prior to providing the specimen. Direct patient to provide a first-catch urine (a maximum of 20-30 mL of the initial urine stream) into a urine collection cup free of any preservatives. 2 mL of urine specimen must be transferred into the APTIMA® specimen transport within 24 hours of collection and before being assayed. Use tube provided in the urine specimen collection kit for urine specimens. The fluid (urine plus transport media) level in the urine tube must fall within the clear pane on the tube label.
Transport Container: APTIMA® Transport tube
When is a Gonorrhea test ordered?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, all sexually active women under the age of 25 and sexually active women beyond the age of 25 who are at elevated risk should have a yearly gonorrhea screening. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Preventive Services Task Force both urge routine screening for these women.
Men who have intercourse with other men should get gonorrhea screening at least once a year, according to the CDC. Routine screening for sexually active, heterosexual guys is not recommended by health organizations. When there is a large number of cases of STDs in the community, for example, healthcare providers may prescribe screening to their patients.
When a person's sexual partner has been diagnosed with gonorrhea, or if the individual shows signs and symptoms of the infection, gonorrhea testing may be recommended.
Three months following gonorrhea therapy, women and men should be tested again.
What does a Gonorrhea Urine test check for?
If not diagnosed and treated, gonorrhea is a common bacterial sexually transmitted illness that can lead to serious consequences. Gonorrhea testing determines whether a person's infection is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The importance of gonorrhea screening, diagnosis, and treatment in reducing long-term consequences and the spread of the infection to others cannot be overstated.
More than 820,000 people in the United States contract new gonorrheal infections each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but only about half of these infections are reported to the CDC. In the United States, sexually active teenagers, young adults, and African Americans have the highest reported rates of infection.
Sexual contact (oral, vaginal, or anal) with an infected partner is the most common way for gonorrhea to spread. Multiple sex partners, coinfection or previous infection with another STD, and not wearing a condom appropriately and consistently are also risk factors.
While some males with gonorrhea will experience symptoms, the majority of women will not or will confuse gonorrhea symptoms with those of a bladder or other vaginal illness. Symptoms in men usually emerge 2 to 5 days after infection, but they can take up to 30 days. Symptoms usually appear within 10 days of infection for women. Because the signs and symptoms of gonorrhea are similar to those of another STD, chlamydia, and can be misinterpreted, testing for both diseases are sometimes performed at the same time.
Antibiotics are generally prescribed to treat gonorrhea. Gonorrhea can have catastrophic consequences if it is not recognized and treated.
Untreated gonorrhea infections in women can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can develop days to months after infection and cause consequences.
Untreated gonorrhea can spread to the blood (septicemia) or joints, leading to disseminated gonococcal infection, a dangerous illness. Fever, numerous skin lesions, severe joint swelling, infection of the inner lining of the heart, and inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord are all signs of DGI. In infants born to infected moms, DGI symptoms include arthritis, meningitis, and sepsis, a serious, life-threatening illness.
Antibiotics identical to those used to treat simple gonorrhea might be used to successfully treat DGI. Treatment-resistant gonorrhea, on the other hand, is becoming more common. To treat all uncomplicated gonococcal infections in adults and adolescents in the United States, CDC guidelines presently recommend dual therapy with ceftriaxone and azithromycin. If a patient's symptoms do not improve following therapy, a healthcare provider may need to do additional tests, including susceptibility testing.
Lab tests often ordered with a Gonorrhea test:
- Chlamydia
- HIV Antibody
- HIV Antigen
- Syphilis
- Herpes 1 and 2
Conditions where a Gonorrhea test is recommended:
- Gonorrhea
- Chlamydia
- HIV
- Syphilis
- Herpes 1 and 2
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- Vaginitis
- Vaginosis
How does my health care provider use a Gonorrhea test?
Gonorrhea testing is used to detect, diagnose, and confirm that infections caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae have been successfully treated. In the United States, gonorrhea is a prevalent sexually transmitted disease that, if left untreated, can lead to serious problems. To avoid long-term problems and the spread of the disease to others, it's critical to screen for, diagnose, and treat gonorrhea.
Because the signs and symptoms of gonorrhea might be similar to those of chlamydia, a clear diagnosis is necessary because the two illnesses require separate antibiotic treatments. Because the two conditions have similar symptoms, healthcare providers frequently test for both Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, the bacteria that causes chlamydia. Testing should be done again to determine that the treatment was effective. After a person has completed therapy, this is done roughly three months later.
What do my Gonorrhea test results mean?
A positive result indicates that you have an active gonorrhea infection that requires antibiotic therapy.
A negative result simply means that no infection was present at the time of the test. It is critical for persons who are at a higher risk of infection to have annual screening tests performed to check for infection.
If you are infected, your sexual partner(s) should get tested and treated as well.
We advise having your results reviewed by a licensed medical healthcare professional for proper interpretation of your results.
