Can a Wet Mount Predict Gonorrhea and Chlamydia?
Screening pregnant women for chlamydial and gonococcal infections allows treatment of organisms that could potentially be transmitted from mother to fetus and reduces the risk of postpartum endometritis. Enzyme immunoassay and DNA probe techniques have essentially replaced cervical cultures and have been shown in some studies to be more sensitive in identifying these organisms. Preliminary evidence suggests that the presence of low numbers of polymorphonuclear lymphocytes in cervical secretions is associated with the absence of chlamydial and gonococcal colonization of the cervix compared with a culture result. Bohmer and associates evaluated the utility and potential cost savings of wet mount preparations in gravid women to rule out the presence of gonococci and Chlamydia trachomatis. The study consisted of 341 prenatal patients who had been screened for gonococci and C. trachomatis at the initial visit or at 36 weeks of gestation. A total of 106 patients had a history of a sexually t
