Organism

Test

Specimen

Swab/Container/Kit

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Culture

Females
Endocervical swab

Males
Urethral swab

Females
Swab kit containing two swabs, slide and charcoal transport medium. Use one swab to prepare a smear for Gram stain and place the other swab in transport medium.

Males
Use same kit as for females but replace swabs with fine-wire urethral/ENT/pernasal swabs.

Chlamydia trachomatis

and/or

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Strand Displacement Amplification

(nucleic acid test – NAT)

Females
First catch urine or
endocervical swab 

Males
First catch urine or
urethral swab

Notes
1. No other specimens are validated for this test.
2. First catch urine is required. Midstream urine is unsuitable.

Females
Sterile urine container or
BD ProbeTec pink swab.

Males
Sterile urine container or
BD ProbeTec blue swab.

Herpes simplex

(HSV1 & HSV2)

Polymerase Chain Reaction

(nucleic acid test – NAT)

Females & Males

Suspected herpetic lesion (including prodrome and inflammation phases)

Females & Males

Sterile plain dry swab

(nucleic acid test - NAT)