Comparative Study of the Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Sexually Transmitted Infections Diagnosed by Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests
Abstract
Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) are major public health concerns. While nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are the primary diagnostic tool for these pathogens, research on pathogen-specific characteristics and risk factors for NAAT clearance failure remain limited in Korea. This study analyzed clinical features of STIs and post-treatment NAAT changes.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adult, non-pregnant patients diagnosed with CT, MG, or NG via NAAT at a secondary care hospital between 2012 and 2024. Clinical characteristics were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and multivariate logistic regression identified risk factors for NAAT clearance failure in patients with follow-up NAAT within three months.
Results: Among 500 STI cases, 80.8% were female, with a median age of 27.0 years. CT was the most common pathogen (53.8%), followed by MG (37.2%) and NG (9.0%). CT infections had the highest complication rate (28.6%), while NG infections were more frequently symptomatic (77.8%) and associated with pyuria (46.4%). Of 221 patients with follow-up NAAT, 14.9% failed clearance. MG infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 6.100; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.711-13.725; P P = 0.029) were independent risk factors for clearance failure.
Conclusion: CT showed the highest complication rate and NG was the most symptomatic. MG was a key predictor…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 221 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Synthesis, In Vitro and In Silico Molecular Docking Studies of Novel Phthalimide–Pyrimidine Hybrid Analogues to Thalidomide as Potent Antitubercular Agents
- Exploring the inhibitory performance of expired moxifloxacin and norfloxacin on copper corrosion in saline environment
- Molecular investigation of antimicrobial peptides against Helicobacter pylori proteins using a peptide-protein docking approach
- Screening of novel narrow-spectrum benzofuroxan derivatives for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis through in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches
- Synthesis, Characterization, Anticancer, Antioxidant, and In Silico Evaluation of Semicarbazides and Thiosemicarbazides
- Fast and accurate prediction of drug induced proarrhythmic risk with sex specific cardiac emulators
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.