Purpose To assess for an association between conjunctival infection with nonchlamydial bacterial species and the presence of trachomatous scarring (TS) in women in central Tanzania. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from a random sample of women ages 18 and older in 47 trachoma-endemic communities in Kongwa, Tanzania. Each participant completed a survey, provided a conjunctival swab...

Swab sample data from a 13-month microbiological baseline study of swine carcasses at Swedish abattoirs were combined with excision sample data collected routinely at five abattoirs. The aim was to compare the numbers of total aerobic counts, Enterobacteriaceae, and Escherichia coli, recovered by swabbing four carcass sites with gauze (total area 400 cm2) with those obtained by excision at equi...

The environment is implicated as a source of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and there is a need for evidence-based approaches to environmental sampling to assess cleanliness and improve infection prevention and control. We assessed, in vitro, different approaches to sampling the environment for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In a laboratory-based investigation, the ...

The ESwab collection device was compared to the collection swab provided as part of the Affirm VPIII microbial identification test kit for testing vaginal specimens with the Affirm test system. There was excellent agreement between the two sampling devices for Candida spp., Gardnerella vaginalis, and Trichomonas vaginalis.

We compared two different methods of collecting endocervical samples for examination by direct immunofluorescence for Chlamydia trachomatis. A cervical Cytobrush gave better results than a dacron swab. Further studies should be performed to assess the value of alternative sampling methods to detect this organism.

A protocol to recover Bacillus anthracis spores from a steel surface using macrofoam swabs was evaluated for its accuracy, precision, reproducibility, and limit of detection. Macrofoam swabs recovered 31.7 to 49.1% of spores from 10-cm2 steel surfaces with a < or =32.7% coefficient of variation in sampling precision and reproducibility for inocula of > or =38 spores.

The rapidSTRIPE H1N1 test, based on a nucleic acid lateral-flow assay, has been developed for diagnosis of a swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus. This test is simple and cost-effective and allows specific detection of the S-OIV A (H1N1) virus from swab sampling to final detection on a lateral-flow stripe within 2 to 3 h.

Carbohydrate antigen detection, nucleic acid probe detection, and bacterial culture are commonly used to confirm group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis. Compared to standard throat swab specimens, the sensitivities of these tests with mouth specimens are poor. When testing for GAS pharyngitis, the throat remains the optimum site for sampling.

Significantly more epithelial cells were collected by flocked swabs than by rayon swabs in parallel nasopharyngeal and nasal swabs taken from 16 volunteers. Nasopharyngeal sampling of 61 symptomatic patients also yielded more cells by flocked than rayon swabs, providing better clinical specimens for diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE Cervical cancer screening coverage remains insufficient in most countries. Testing self-collected samples for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) could be an alternative to the Pap smear, but costs, sampling methods and transport issues hamper its wide use. Our objective was to compare diagnostic accuracy of 2 vaginal self-collection methods, a dry swab (vsc-DRY) or swab in liquid...