Prevalence of Neisseria Gonorrhoea among Under Graduate Female Students of University Of Port Harcpurt Using Strand Displacement and Amplification (Sda) Technique

Background: Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection can occur asymptomatically and due to the growth requirements in the laboratory, it can be easily missed even if it is symptomatic. Isolating the organism using conventional laboratory procedures has yielded varying degrees of sensitivity and specificity. Since there is paucity of information on the prevalence rate of the organism using nucleic acid amplification technique as the detection tool, this study became pertinent. Also, the associated risk factors to the infection on female undergraduate students were highlighted. Methodology: Two hundred undergraduate, non-pregnant, asymptomatic female students who were above the age of 16 years but not above the age of 30 years were randomly selected and given questionnaires with self administrable vaginal swab sticks. The participants completed the questionnaires and provided the vaginal swab specimens which were analyzed using Strand Displacement and Amplification Technique. Results: Out of the 200 sexually active participants, 10 tested positive, giving a prevalence of 5% for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Some of the associated risk factors elicited were; having multiple sexual partners, irregular use of condom and past history of sexually transmitted infections Conclusion: There is a need for a policy on routine screening for Neisseria gonorrhoeae since the treatment is available but the complications are danderous to reproductive health.