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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2001, p. 3197-3199, Vol. 39, No. 9
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and
Pathology, St. Vincent Hospitals and Health
Services,1 and Wishard Health
Services,2 Indianapolis, Indiana;
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham,
Alabama3; and University of
Pittsburgh/Magee Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania4
Received 28 March 2001/Returned for modification 4 May
2001/Accepted 8 July 2001
The objective of this study was to measure the performance of the
Affirm Ambient Temperature Transport System (ATTS) over time and to
estimate the length of time the system can preserve a vaginal specimen
containing the three common organisms causing vaginitis:
Trichomonas vaginalis, Candida species,
and Gardnerella vaginalis (one of the causative agents of
bacterial vaginosis). Women with symptoms of vaginitis presenting to
one of three clinical centers were evaluated over a 4- to 8-week
period. Four simultaneously obtained swabs were collected and tested by
the Affirm VPIII assay at time zero with and without a preservative
reagent, at 24 h with reagent, and at either 48 or 72 h with
reagent. For each of the three organisms,
Trichomonas, Gardnerella, and
Candida, positivity at each time point was evaluated and
compared to that at reference time zero with and without the ATTS. A
total of 940 specimens were obtained from the three clinical sites.
Eight hundred three were positive for one or more of the three
organisms. Gardnerella had the highest overall positive
rate (62%), followed by Candida with 18% and
Trichomonas at 9%. The percent sensitivity versus control
for Trichomonas ranged from 100% at time zero with and without reagent to 91% by 72 h. Gardnerella and
Candida sensitivity remained at 100% for each time period.
The Affirm VPIII ATTS system performed within 10% of the control swab
(no transport reagent) at all four time points (0, 24, 48, and 72 h) for Trichomonas, Gardnerella, and
Candida.
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.9.3197-3199.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of the Affirm Ambient Temperature
Transport System for the Detection and Identification of
Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis, and
Candida Species from Vaginal Fluid Specimens
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: St. Vincent
Hospitals and Health Services, 2001 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, IN
46240. Phone: (317) 338-3767. Fax: (317) 338-6358. E-mail:
hbrown{at}stvincent.org.
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