Urine-based Test for Certain STDs

ALAMEDA, CA-A urine-based testing service, Sentinel(TM), can detect HIV-1, chlamydia, and gonorrhea from a single urine specimen. Launched by Calypte Biomedical Corporation, the service can reduce the waiting period for test results. Currently, clinics without in-house laboratories send samples to state public health labs for analysis and this can be a slow process. By comparison, results of samples sent to the Sentinel(TM) testing lab are usually ready three days after they are received. The timeliness of the results assists not only in treatment, but also in the prevention of spreading the diseases. For healthcare workers, a major benefit of urine testing is the elimination of accidental needlesticks. Unlike blood, urine does not appear to harbor HIV nor is there evidence that HIV is spread through urine.

The test methodology used by Sentinel(TM) for the detection of HIV-1 antibody is the Calypte HIV-1 Urine EIA, automatically supplemented by the Cambridge Biotech HIV-1 Antibody Urine Western Blot if repeatedly reactive EIA results are found. Both tests are FDA-cleared assays for the determination of HIV-1 antibody in urine samples and may be used in all settings except blood banks. The test methodology for the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae DNA and the Chlamydia trachomatis DNA is the BDProbeTecET(TM) assay. This methodology is also FDA-cleared for use with urine samples and operates on the principle of Strand Displacement Amplification.