In addition to diagnostic services for clinics with a high HIV/AIDS
caseload, other clinics served include those providing health
services for homeless youth and those in juvenile detention.
The detection of gonorrhoea infection is performed by either culture
or PCR. The latter test is performed as a multiplex PCR (Roche
Amplicor) for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis
and internal control. Testing is performed on a daily basis.
Presumptive N.gonorrhoeae positives from this assay must
be retested in a confirmatory PCR assay that detects the cryptic
plasmid of N.gonorrhoeae. Both assays are also performed
on a referral basis for other laboratories.
Overall the laboratory accounts for more than a quarter of the
diagnoses of N.gonorrhoeae in Victoria.
