Register      Login
Sexual Health Sexual Health Society
Publishing on sexual health from the widest perspective
EDITORIAL

How long should clinicians spend sampling the pharynx for gonorrhoea culture specimens?

Sarah Stuart A , Daniel Richardson https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0955-6307 A B * , Collins Iwuji A B and Suneeta Soni A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Global Health and Infection, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.

B Sexual Health and HIV, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, BN2 5BE, UK.

* Correspondence to: docdanielr@hotmail.com

Handling Editor: Eric Chow

Sexual Health 19(1) 74-75 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH21203
Submitted: 8 October 2021  Accepted: 5 November 2021   Published: 31 December 2021

© 2021 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

There are few data on the length of time clinicians should take sampling the pharynx to optimise the sensitivity of gonorrhoea culture specimens and we aimed to gain a consensus on sampling time. The estimated mean time clinicians reported that they spent sampling the pharynx for gonorrhoea culture specimens was 4.63 s (s.d. ± 2.04). There was no significant difference in sampling times between clinicians who had worked in sexual health for over and under 10 years, (4.7 (s.d. ±2.02) vs 4.6 (s.d. ± 2.3); P = 0.45). We are now using these findings to design an educational tool with the aim of improving pharyngeal gonorrhoea culture sensitivity.

Keywords: gag reflex, gonorrhoea, gonorrhoea culture, men who have sex with men, pharynx, sampling, sexual health clinicians, sexually transmitted infections.


References

[1]  PHB. Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in England and Wales: key findings from the gonococcal resistance to antimicrobials surveillance programme (GRASP 2018). PHB; 2019. Available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/834924/GRASP__2018_report.pdf [accessed 27 February 2021]

[2]  Fifer H, Saunders J, Soni S, Sadiq ST, Fitzgerald M. 2018 UK national guideline for the management of infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Int J STD AIDS 2020; 31 4–15.
2018 UK national guideline for the management of infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 31870237PubMed |

[3]  Richardson D, Pickering A, Trotman D, Nichols K, Buss Z, Devlin J, Finnerty F. Pharyngeal gonorrhoea in men who have sex with men. Int J STD AIDS 2021; 32 449–52.
Pharyngeal gonorrhoea in men who have sex with men.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 33533296PubMed |

[4]  Razali MF, Fairley CK, Hocking J, Bradshaw CS, Chen MY. Sampling technique and detection rates for pharyngeal gonorrhea using culture. Sex Transm Dis 2010; 37 522–4.
Sampling technique and detection rates for pharyngeal gonorrhea using culture.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20661116PubMed |

[5]  Mitchell M, Rane V, Fairley CK, Whiley DM, Bradshaw CS, Bissessor M, Chen MY. Sampling technique is important for optimal isolation of pharyngeal gonorrhoea. Sex Transm Infect 2013; 89 557–60.
Sampling technique is important for optimal isolation of pharyngeal gonorrhoea.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 23694937PubMed |