STD diagnostic tests for low resource settings: capabilities and needs.
PubMed · 1993
The STD Diagnostics Initiative is working to identify and/or adapt STD diagnostics appropriate for use in low resource settings. Diagnostic tests in such settings are mainly used to identify STDs by screening large numbers of samples and identifying disease in at-risk groups. To be appropriate for such purposes and in such settings, a diagnostic must be inexpensive, simple, rapid, convenient, stable, functional, and accurate. This article describes the strengths and weaknesses of some existing diagnostic techniques and reports upon current priorities for the development of new STD diagnostics. Microscopy, RPR and TRUST tests, simple oxidase indicators, and leukocyte esterase tests are discussed.