Chlamydia is caused by the small bacterium chlamydia trachomatis, which infects cells invading the lining of the genitals. Chlamydia bacteria differs from other bacteria because it can not generate energy on its own, and instead uses the host cell’s energy storage to propagate itself. This process will often not give any symptoms or, but the bacterium will leave a lot of traces that can be used to detect its presence. One of these is a particular molecule on the surface of the clamydi bacterium called an antigen that is completely unique to this disease. This means that a self-test for chlamydia can confirm infection by detecting the presence of chlamydia antigen, because no other diseases will have this molecule. It is important that you discover this disease on time so as to prevent serious complications such as pelvic inflammation.
How do you perform a chlamydia home test?
The whole procedure behind a home test for chlamydia is very simple and you get results within 15 minutes. The first thing to do is to drip a few drops of buffer solution A into the test tube, and it is important to do this before adding sample material. There are obvious anatomical differences in men and women that indicate that sample collection is different, but beyond the same principles, the principles behind the test are the same for both sexes.
Sample collection for women performing a chlamydia test at home:
Injection of test material when testing for chlamydia at home occurs simply by moving the swab into the vagina, and then rubs it well for a few seconds before removing it. It is important that the binder with biological material does not come into contact with any surfaces other than the vagina, to avoid contamination and incorrect test results. The swab is then fed into the sample tube with buffer solution A, where it turns well for a couple of seconds. You can throw the swab when you finish mixing.
Sample collection for men who perform a self-test for chlamydia:
Humans collect the trial catheter by pushing the swab into the urethra opening, then rotate it for 5 seconds. This is perhaps the most uncomfortable part for men who perform a home test for chlamydia, but it is important that rotation takes place with sufficient force to scratch some cells on the surface along the mucous membranes. Chlamydia is an intracellular bacterium that lives inside the surface cells along the urethra, and you risk a false negative result if you perform this part correctly. It is important that the sample swab is contaminated when the sample collection is complete, avoiding contact with other surfaces. Finally, put the swab into the sample tube with buffer solution A, where it turns well for a couple of seconds.
The final and crucial test procedures – men and women:
The last step is to add your pair of drops of buffer solution B into the sample tube, which is then closed and shaken well for 20 seconds before driping the mixture onto the test cartridge. Then wait for 10-15 minutes before reading the result from your home test for chlamydia, which will be considered positive if you get two stripes on the cassette, and negative if it only shows a line.