Rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of 6 sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pathogens. PCR testing allows for significant increases in sensitivity and specificity yielding the most accurate results in 24 hours or less.
Unlike bacterial or viral culture, PCR testing does NOT require the pathogen to be alive in order to identify genetic code. PCR testing does NOT require the infection to exist long enough to develop a detectable antibody reaction. Source
CDC estimates that there are more than 19.7 million new STIs in the United States each year.
Young people (ages 15-24) are particularly affected, accounting for half (50 percent) of all new STIs, although they represent just 25 percent of the sexually active population.
CDC’s analysis suggests that there are more than 110 million STIs overall among men and women nationwide.
“Even though young people account for half of new STI cases, a recent survey showed only about 12% were tested for STIs in the last year.”
Infection rates for sexually transmitted diseases keep climbing among Americans 45 and older, part of a larger national trend that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says must be confronted.
According to the CDC, cases of gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia among Americans 45 and older increased by 20% from 2015 to 2016. While infection rates among people ages 15-24 remain the highest, the largest increase in infection rates was among people ages 45 and up.
