A portable magnetofluidic platform for detecting sexually transmitted infections and antimicrobial susceptibility

Rapid diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections in the clinic ensures treatment with the appropriate antibiotic. Trick et al. developed a cartridge-based magnetofluidic polymerase chain reaction platform that detects Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the pathogen causing gonorrhea, in urethral swabs from patients within 15 min. This test simultaneously reported whether the strains detected are resistant to the antimicrobial drug ciprofloxacin. Testing of urethral swab samples was performed at sexual health clinics in Baltimore and in Kampala, Uganda. This study demonstrates that this rapid assay can detect gonorrhea at the point of care and determine ciprofloxacin resistance of the pathogen.