Nikos Pavlidis
Molecular Diagnostics and Women’s Health & Cancer at BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), USA

Abstract

New molecular testing technologies can help clinicians to improve diagnosis of certain conditions, thus enabling faster decision-making and more effective treatment. This article demonstrates how molecular testing can be used to enhance diagnosis of reproductive tract and sexually transmitted infections in women, and of gastrointestinal infections. The diagnosis process can be made even more efficient through utilising automation and informatics tools to standardise operating procedures in laboratories.

New molecular testing technologies are improving laboratory workflows and offering clinicians new options for identifying patient infections and determining the best possible course of treatment. Increasingly, molecular diagnostics can be used to process and test samples across numerous applications - from women’s health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to gastrointestinal (GI) applications. These tools bring standardisation to the diagnostic process and may address the challenges clinicians face in diagnosing conditions caused by different pathogens that have similar clinical presentations.

IMPROVING THE DIAGNOSIS OF REPRODUCTIVE TRACT AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS IN WOMEN

The World Health Organization reports that more than 350 million new cases of sexually transmitted bacterial and protozoal infections occur worldwide every year (1). Molecular testing is increasingly playing an important role in the diagnosis of STIs. These infections require treatment and can have serious implications for women if improperly diagnosed or left untreated. For example, untreated gonococcal and chlamydial infections in women coul ...