HIV screening test
Infection with the HI virus can only be ruled out 6 weeks after a risk exposure. In the first 10–14 days after risk exposure, the HIV screening test may still be negative despite infection. If the HIV screening test is positive, a second blood draw must be performed. Only when the HIV confirmation test from the second sample is positive is HIV infection considered confirmed.
Lues screening test
Lues (syphilis) is a venereal disease and has an incubation period of 7–21 days. It can take up to 3 weeks or more after a high-risk situation for symptoms to appear or for laboratory tests to become positive.
If symptoms are present and syphilis tests are negative, testing should be repeated in 1–2 weeks.
If a person has previously had syphilis, the screening test will remain positive. In such cases only on the basis of the activity marker RPR can it be distinguished in such cases whether the patient currently has an active infection.
Syphilis does not leave immunity. Reinfection can occur if the person comes into contact with the pathogen Treponema pallidum again.
Hepatitis C screening test
Hepatitis C is a viral infection in which liver cells in particular are destroyed. The most common complications are liver cirrhosis and liver carcinoma.
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be transmitted by several routes:
In intravenous drug use with syringe exchange, needle stick injury with contaminated blood, through unprotected sexual intercourse (the risk is less than for HIV), or at birth if the mother is HCV positive. However, in 30–40% of infected individuals, the route of transmission is unclear. The duration from infection to outbreak of the disease is 2 weeks to 6 months.
The usual screening test for hepatitis C is the detection of HCV-lgG antibodies in the blood. However, after infection, it may take several weeks for the test to become positive. If the screening test is positive, further confirmatory tests must be performed, such as HCV-lmmunoblot or HCV-RNA direct detection.
Chlamydia screening Test
Chlamydia trachomatis is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse. The incubation period is not precisely defined and is usually one to several weeks.
If symptoms occur, a molecular biological examination by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) should be performed. . The way to test for this is in the first morning urine, as the concentration of chlamydia in the urine is highest in the morning.
Chlamydia trachomatis does not leave immunity. Re-infection can occur if the person comes into contact with Chlamydia trachomatis again.
Gonorrhea (gonorrhea) screening test
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease with an incubation period of 2–7 days. At the time of onset of symptoms, molecular biological evidence of gonococci can be provided by PCR (polymymerase chain reaction).
If the examination is performed in urine, the best choice is first morning urine, as the concentration of gonococci in the urine is highest in the morning.
Gonorrhea does not leave immunity. Reinfection can occur if the person comes into contact with gonococci again.
Mycoplasma genitalium screening test
Mycoplasma genitalium is considered to cause both non-gonococcal urethritis NGU (inflammation of the urethra) in men and women and inflammation of the uterus or fallopian tubes in women. Transmission occurs through sexual intercourse.
Cultural detection takes several weeks and is therefore not suitable for routine diagnostics. Very good, but not available in all laboratories, is molecular biological detection by PCR (polymerase chain reaction).
We offer this analysis in our laboratory together with Chlamydia and Gonococcus PCR.
