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Those at Risk Identified; Diagnostic Test Developed

Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2006;295:2592.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

While lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) outbreaks first appeared in the United States only 2 years ago, this sexually transmitted disease (STD) has since become a public health challenge. With symptoms of bleeding and inflammation of the rectum as well as abdominal cramping and pain, the disease can mimic various other anorectal problems. Diagnosing the infection, which is caused by a particular form of chlamydia bacteria, requires time-consuming genetic sequencing that can be performed only in relatively sophisticated laboratories.

Now, however, researchers have identified who is at risk of contracting and spreading LGV and have developed a relatively simple diagnostic test that produces results in just a few hours. The findings were presented at the recent 2006 National STD Prevention Conference.

Scientists from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene analyzed 249 specimens collected in 2004 and 2005 from suspected LGV cases, finding links between LGV, . . . [Full Text of this Article]