Volume and Type of Laboratory Testing Methods for Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Public Health Laboratories 2007: Summary Report

This report provides a summary of responses from a web-based survey of public health laboratories on volume and type of testing for STDs in the United States in 2007. The survey was conducted in 2008. Responses were received from 61.4 percent (94 of 153) participants. In 2007, 3,290,390 chlamydia tests and 3,157,827 gonorrhea tests were performed in the surveyed laboratories; 89.7 percent of chlamydia tests and 84.4 percent of gonorrhea tests were nucleic acid amplification tests. Over 90 percent of responders reported syphilis testing. Of 49 public health laboratories that reported herpes testing (79,614 total tests), 71.4 percent did standard cell culture, and 30.6 percent performed the HerpesSelect test (type-specific serology). Only 14 labs did trichomonas testing, and the majority did culture tests. Only 10 labs did bacterial vaginosis testing; three labs performed 3,315 human papillomavirus tests; and 5 labs reported pap smears of which the majority was liquid-based cytology.