Background Molecular urine collection devices are not supporting bacteria culture. Copan UriSponge^TM consists of a leak-proof screw-cap tube with 3 sponges containing preservative salts attached to a plastic stick to absorb and retain urine during transport and prevent bacterial overgrowth. Urines collected in UriSponge^TM were compared to urine samples transported in dry contains for the detection of STI with ‘Multiplex Real-time PCR’ assays. The objective of this study was to validate the performance of urine in UriSponge^TM for the detection of STI with the Seegene Anyplex ^TMII-STI-7 assay

Methods Urine collected with UriSponge^TM from 2991 patients attending a STD-clinic were used in this study. A first void urine was collected in a sterile-cap, the UriSponge^TM sponges were immersed into the urine until saturated and stored back in its own tubes. Prior testing, UriSponge^TM samples were centrifuged at 2500-RPM for 5min, de-capped the tubes and discarded the sponges, vortexed and loaded the urine tubes on the Nimbus for nucleic acids extraction and amplified with the Anyplex II STI-7-assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV), Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), Mycoplasma hominis (MH),Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU),and Ureaplasma Parvum (UP ).

Results In the 2991 UriSponge^TM samples tested, were detected 267 (8.02%) CT, 220 (7.35% NG, 59 (1.97%) TV, 129 (4.31%) MG, 232 (7.75%) MH, 430 (14.5%) UU and 640 (21.4%) UP positive. The positivity rate of each STI was comparable to data obtained from a previous study comparing urine samples stored in sterile containers and UriSponge^TM. Samples processing on the Nimbus facilitated testing workflow.

Conclusion Good performance was obtained with urine collected and transported with UriSponge^TM for the detection of STI with the Anyplex ^TM II STI-7-assay. UriSponge^TM is an optimal device for urine collection for STI screening, eliminating the use of large leaking urine containers and are supporting culture for NG AST.

Disclosure No significant relationships.