Swabs for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
The Canadian Guidelines on Sexually Transmitted Infections have recently included self-collected vaginal swabs as an option for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. A summary of swabs used for testing at Lifelabs is provided in table below.
Testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea by nucleic acid amplification (but not culture) can also be performed on first-void urine samples. Patient instructions are available on our website. Chlamydia culture is not available through LifeLabs.
Testing for Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), caused by Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L1-3, is not routinely performed. However, all rectal swabs that test positive for chlamydia are automatically forwarded to the National Microbiology Laboratory for LGV testing.
Diana Whellams, MD, FRCPC, Medical Microbiologist