• Component Description
• Eligible Sample
• Description of Laboratory Methodology
• Laboratory Quality Assurance and Monitoring
• Data Processing and Editing
• Analytic Notes
• Codebook
  • SEQN - Respondent sequence number
  • URXUGC - Gonorrhea, urine
  • URXUCL - Chlamydia, urine

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

2001-2002 Data Documentation, Codebook, and Frequencies

Chlamydia & Gonorrhea - Urine (L05_B)

Data File: L05_B.xpt

First Published: May 2004

Last Revised: NA

Component Description

Urinary chlamydia and Urinary gonorrhea

Sexually transmitted infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain in women. They are associated with increased risk of HIV transmission. Pregnant women may transmit infection to their newborn causing serious medical complications. At present there are no reliable estimates on the prevalence of chlamydial and gonococcal infection in the general population of the United States.

NHANES offers an opportunity to assess the prevalence of chlamydia and gonococcal infection in the general population and to monitor trends in prevalence as prevention programs are established and expanded.

Eligible Sample

Participants aged 14 to 39 years were tested. The public data file includes data for persons 18-39 years of age. Please see Analytic Notes about the release of data for adolescents 14-17 years of age.

Description of Laboratory Methodology

Urinary chlamydia

The Chlamydia trachomatis assay uses LCR TM (ligase chain reaction) amplification technology in the LCx Probe System for the direct, qualitative detection of plasmid DNA of Chlamydia trachomatis.
The LCx Chlamydia trachomatis assay uses the nucleic acid amplication method LCR to detect the presence of C. trachomatis plasmid DNA directly in clinical specimens.

The four oligonucleotide probes in the LCx assay recognize and hybridize to a specific target sequence within the C. trachomatis plasmid DNA. The oligonuleotides are designed to be complementary to the target sequence so that in the presence of target, the probes will bind adjacent to one another. They can then be enzymatically joined to form the amplification product, which subsequently serves as an additional target sequence during further rounds of amplication. The product of the LCR reaction is detected on the Abbott LCx analyzer.

Urinary gonorrhea

The Neisseria gonorrhoeae assay uses LCR TM (ligase chain reaction) amplification technology in the LCx Probe System for the direct, qualitative detection of a specific target nucleic acid sequence in the Opa gene of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

The LCx Neisseria gonorrhoeae assay uses the nucleic acid amplication method LCR to detect the presence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The four oligonucleotide probes in the LCx assay recognize and hybridize to a specific target sequence within the Opa gene of Neisseria gonorrhoeae DNA. The oligonuleotides are designed to be complementary to the target sequence so that in the presence of target, the probes will bind adjacent to one another. They can then be enzymatically joined to form the amplification product which subsequently serves as an additional target sequence during further rounds of amplication. The product of the LCR reaction is detected on the Abbott LCx analyzer.

Laboratory Quality Assurance and Monitoring

The NHANES quality control and quality assurance protocols (QA/QC) meet the 1988 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act mandates. Detailed quality control and quality assurance instructions are discussed in the NHANES Laboratory/Medical Technologists Procedures Manual (LPM). Read the LABDOC file for detailed QA/QC protocols.

Data Processing and Editing

Urine specimens were processed, stored and shipped to the Division of STD Prevention Laboratory, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA for analysis. Detailed specimen collection and processing instructions are discussed in the NHANES Laboratory/Medical Technologists Procedures Manual (LPM). Read the LABDOC file for detailed data processing and editing protocols. The analytical methods are described in the Description of the Laboratory Methodology section.

Analytic Notes

The public release data file includes urinary chlamydia and gonorrhea data for participants aged 18–39. Data for youth aged 14–17 years are available through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC).

Codebook and Frequencies