{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T18:57:48Z","timestamp":1760122668418,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000925","name":"National Health and Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000925","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sex Transm Infect"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>The detection of an STI agent in a urogenital tract (UGT) specimen from a young child is regarded as being indicative of sexual abuse. However, the probabilities of contamination events that could conceivably lead to STI positive specimens in the absence of sexual contact are unclear. The objective was to estimate the potential for fingers that have come in contact with <jats:italic>Chlamydia trachomatis-<\/jats:italic>positive urine to detectably contaminate <jats:italic>C. trachomatis-<\/jats:italic>negative urine.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>The study design was based on self-experimentation. Dilutions of <jats:italic>C. trachomatis<\/jats:italic> elementary bodies (EBs) were prepared. A participant contacted an EB dilution then a urine surrogate specimen. The experiment was performed by three participants using three <jats:italic>C. trachomatis<\/jats:italic> isolates, of genotype E, F and B. Two surrogate urine contact methods were used to mimic contamination of a carer assisting with a child\u2019s urine collection. All EB dilutions and urine surrogate specimens were subjected to <jats:italic>C. trachomatis<\/jats:italic> assay and quantification in a real-time PCR-based diagnostic system.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The amplimer crossing point (Cq) for EB dilutions was 10.0\u00b11.6\u2009less than for corresponding finger contacted urine specimens, which corresponds to ~10\u2009\u00b5L of EB suspension transferred. This was largely independent of participant identity, <jats:italic>C. trachomatis<\/jats:italic> strain or EB dilution. Hand decontamination led to large reductions in EBs transferred, but transfer remained consistently detectable. Recent Cq data from <jats:italic>C. trachomatis-<\/jats:italic>positive clinical urine specimens were collated, and 20% clearly contained sufficient <jats:italic>C. trachomatis<\/jats:italic> to detectably contaminate another specimen by finger-mediated transfer, as in this experiment.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study directly demonstrated the potential for urine contaminated fingers to convert a <jats:italic>C. trachomatis-<\/jats:italic>negative urine specimen to <jats:italic>C. trachomatis<\/jats:italic> positive as a result of contact. Accordingly, procedures for urine specimen collection, particularly from children, need to be designed to prevent contamination.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2016-053081","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,6,10]],"date-time":"2017-06-10T01:09:58Z","timestamp":1497056998000},"page":"32-36","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Contaminated fingers: a potential cause of <i>Chlamydia trachomatis-<\/i>positive urine specimens"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"94","author":[{"given":"Philip M","family":"Giffard","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rachael A","family":"Lilliebridge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Judith","family":"Wilson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gerald","family":"Murray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samuel","family":"Phillips","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sepehr N","family":"Tabrizi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Suzanne M","family":"Garland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Louise","family":"Martin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gurmeet","family":"Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Steven Y C","family":"Tong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Deborah C","family":"Holt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Patiyan","family":"Andersson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,6,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.1","unstructured":"The Kirby Institute. HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia. Annual Surveillance Report 2015. Australia, Sydney NSW: The Kirby Institute\u00a0UNSW, 2052."},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.2","unstructured":"Wild R , Anderson P . Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle, \u2019Little Children Are Sacred' Report of the board of enquiry into the protection of Aboriginal children from sexual abuse. 2007 http:\/\/www.inquirysaac.nt.gov.au\/pdf\/bipacsa_final_report.pdf"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"621","DOI":"10.5694\/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01446.x","article-title":"The Northern Territory intervention: voices from the centre of the fringe","volume":"187","author":"Brown","year":"2007","journal-title":"Med J Aust"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2012-050667"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2012-050543"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/sti.2007.027862"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jpids\/pit085"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Giffard PM , Brenner NC , Tabrizi SN , et al . Chlamydia trachomatis genotypes in a cross-sectional study of urogenital samples from remote Northern and Central Australia. BMJ Open 2016;6:e009624.doi:10.1136\/bmjopen-2015-009624","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2015-009624"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Giffard PM , Singh G , Garland SM . What does Chlamydia trachomatis detection in a urogenital specimen from a young child mean? Sex Transm Infect 2016:sextrans-2015-052473.doi:10.1136\/sextrans-2015-052473","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2015-052473"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.10","unstructured":"Bowie WR , Caldwell HD , Jones RP , et al . eds. Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on Human Chlamydial Infections. International Symposium on Human Chlamydial Infections; 1990; Harrison Hot Springs. Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge."},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.11","unstructured":"Oriel D , Ridgway GL , Schachter J , et al . eds. Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Human Chlamydial Infections. International Symposium on Human Chlamydial Infections; 1986; Sanderstead, Surrey. Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge."},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10688","DOI":"10.1038\/ncomms10688","article-title":"Chlamydia trachomatis from Australian aboriginal people with Trachoma are polyphyletic composed of multiple distinctive lineages","volume":"7","author":"Andersson","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat Commun"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1139\/w03-056"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.14","unstructured":"Anonymous. Specimen collection posters. 2011 http:\/\/digitallibrary.health.nt.gov.au\/prodjspui\/handle\/10137\/531"},{"key":"2020050723323001000_94.1.32.15","unstructured":"Kirkwood J . Clean catch urine sample and culture. 2016 http:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/urine-culture-clean-catch#overview1"}],"container-title":["Sexually Transmitted Infections"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/sextrans-2016-053081","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,26]],"date-time":"2020-09-26T10:14:42Z","timestamp":1601115282000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/sti.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/sextrans-2016-053081"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2017,6,9]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,1,18]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,2]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/sextrans-2016-053081"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/sextrans-2016-053081","relation":{},"ISSN":["1368-4973","1472-3263"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"1368-4973"},{"type":"electronic","value":"1472-3263"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2017,6,9]]}}}