| dc.description.abstract | Background: Mycoplasma genitalium is a sexually transmitted bacteria, causing urethritis in men and women. The microbe is also associated with cervicitis, PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) and infertility. The only way to detect this pathogen is by NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test). In our study, we compared results from two different NAAT- tests, and studied what factors contributed to the sensitivity of the tests. Methods: 2237 patients attending Olafiaklinikken from April to December 2016 were tested for M. genitalium. Urine samples from men and vaginal swabs from women were collected, two samples from each patient. The specimens were sent to two different laboratories (in Oslo and Sweden) and retrospectively we compared the results from the tests taking different background-factors into account. Results: The total prevalence of M genitalium obtained by the two methods was 3,4% and 4,6% , respectively. 25 out of the 102 mycoplasma-positive were not detected at the clinics’ own laboratory and 68% of them were men. 30% of the mycoplasma-positive patients that had taken the test less than 2 weeks after their last sexual encounter, got a false negative test. Only 2 out of 7 men who micturated less than 3 hours prior to the test, got a positive result. Conclusions: We found no clear connection between symptoms and a high enough bacterial load to reach the detection limit of the PCR, however our study indicates false negative tests due to recent micturition before testing, as well as incubation-time less than 2 weeks from last sexual encounter. These findings, underlines the importance of instructing the patient precisely prior to testing in order to secure correct sampling and improve the sensitivity of the test. | eng |