STI-14 Panel PCR
This expanded PCR panel screens for 14 sexually transmitted pathogens from a single sample, providing broader coverage than the standard panel. Ideal for comprehensive sexual health screening.
- DHA-licensed lab
- Includes Doctor Consultation
- Physician-reviewed
- Same Day Collection
2 to 3 days
Turnaround
Urine or swab
Sample
What the STI-14 Panel PCR test tells you
The STI-14 panel takes everything the seven-organism panel covers and widens it, adding organisms that produce ulcers, sores and skin lesions rather than discharge alone: herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, Treponema pallidum, Haemophilus ducreyi and Gardnerella vaginalis among them. It suits a different situation from the basic panel: symptoms that involve a lesion, or symptoms that have not gone away after simpler testing came back clear.
The wider coverage changes what the test can answer. Ulcerating infections are genuinely difficult to tell apart by appearance, and treating for the wrong one costs time. Detecting Treponema pallidum directly from a sore is also useful in a way that blood testing is not, because syphilis antibodies take time to appear and an early lesion can be present before a blood test turns reactive. Herpes is likewise best identified from an active lesion, when the virus is being shed.
Breadth brings a responsibility to read the report carefully rather than line by line. Gardnerella vaginalis is part of normal vaginal flora in many women, and detecting it does not by itself mean bacterial vaginosis, which is a clinical diagnosis based on the balance of organisms and how someone feels. Detection of an organism is not the same as that organism causing symptoms, and some findings need no treatment at all: your doctor decides which do. Where treatment is indicated, recent partners are usually tested and treated as well, which is standard practice rather than a judgement about anyone.
Comprehensive STI screening for individuals with multiple partners, new sexual partners, or symptoms not explained by basic STI testing.
- Covers ulcers as well as discharge
It adds the organisms that cause sores and lesions, which the basic panel does not look for at all.
- Detects syphilis from a lesion
Testing a sore directly for Treponema pallidum can identify syphilis before blood antibody testing has had time to turn reactive.
- Explains persistent symptoms
When a basic panel came back clear but the symptoms continue, the wider coverage frequently finds the cause.
- One sample, broader answer
A single specimen covers a much larger set of organisms, which avoids a slow sequence of separate tests.
Reasons your doctor may request the STI-14 Panel PCR test
Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.
Ulcers, sores & discharge
- Genital ulcers, sores, blisters or unexplained lesions in the genital area.
- Recurrent or unusual vaginal discharge, particularly with an odour.
Contact with a diagnosed infection
- Contact with someone diagnosed with herpes, syphilis or another ulcerating infection.
When a basic panel has not explained it
- Symptoms that have persisted despite a clear basic panel or a completed course of treatment.
- A broader assessment where the likely cause is difficult to narrow down.
Not Detected means none of the 14 pathogens on this panel were found in your swab. Detected means genetic material from one or more was present, and your report names which. A detection needs interpreting before treatment. Gardnerella vaginalis, Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis live harmlessly in many people, so finding them is not automatically an illness. A positive can also follow reinfection, or an infection not fully cleared because a partner went untreated. Herpes simplex is shed intermittently, from a lesion or from normal-looking skin, so a negative swab leaves the question open; blood antibody testing answers something different. Treponema pallidum is best detected from an active sore, and a negative swab does not replace syphilis blood testing. HIV and viral hepatitis are not covered. Your doctor reads the report with your symptoms, examination and history.
Medically reviewed by Dr Nirupama Sabhapathy
This test is reported descriptively rather than on a numeric scale: each finding below explains what your report may say.
None of the 14 panel organisms found; a negative herpes or syphilis swab does not fully exclude them.
One or more of the 14 organisms found; some are harmless residents, so your doctor interprets it first.
Ranges are a guide: your physician interprets your result alongside your symptoms and history.
What a higher result can point to
- Active infection with any of the bacterial, viral or parasitic organisms the panel covers.
- Herpes simplex being shed from a lesion, or at times from skin that looks entirely normal.
- Gardnerella vaginalis detected as part of normal vaginal flora rather than as disease.
- Carriage of Ureaplasma species or Mycoplasma hominis without any related illness.
- Reinfection, or an infection that was not fully cleared, particularly where a partner was not treated.
These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests: your doctor decides what it means for you.
What this test cannot tell you
- Herpes is shed intermittently, so a negative swab does not exclude it; blood antibody testing answers a different question about past exposure.
- Gardnerella vaginalis and the genital mycoplasmas are commonly present in healthy people, so detection needs clinical interpretation before any treatment.
- Treponema pallidum PCR works best on material from an active sore, and a negative swab does not replace syphilis blood testing.
- The panel does not cover HIV or viral hepatitis, which require blood samples of their own.
- 1Extends the standard panel to organisms that cause ulcers and lesions, not only discharge.
- 2Useful when symptoms persist after a basic panel came back clear.
- 3Direct detection of syphilis from a sore can precede a reactive blood test.
- 4Several organisms on the panel are normal residents, so not every detection calls for treatment.
- 5A negative herpes swab does not rule herpes out, because shedding comes and goes.
STI-14 Panel PCR also comes in these focused packages, which pair it with the tests usually read alongside it.
- STI & STDSTI-7 Panel PCR
This PCR panel screens for 7 common sexually transmitted infections from a single swab sample. It offers high sensitivity and specificity for early…
399View - STI & STDSTI-28 Panel PCR
A broad STI panel screening one sample for 28 organisms by multiplex PCR: the main sexually transmitted infections plus Candida species and…
999View - STI & STDHPV PCR
HPV PCR detects human papillomavirus DNA and identifies high-risk strains (including types 16 and 18) associated with cervical and other cancers. It…
999View - STI & STDHIV 1 & 2 Antibodies with P24 Antigen
This fourth-generation HIV test detects both HIV antibodies and the p24 antigen, enabling earlier detection than antibody-only tests: typically…
150View
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the STI-14 Panel PCR test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→It means genetic material from one or more of the 14 organisms was found, and your report names which. A detection still needs interpreting: some organisms on the panel live harmlessly in many people, and a positive can also reflect reinfection or an infection not fully cleared. Your doctor reads the report with your symptoms and examination before deciding on treatment.
No. The panel does not cover HIV or viral hepatitis, which need blood samples of their own. It also does not replace syphilis blood testing, because the syphilis swab works best on material from an active sore. If you want a complete sexual health check, ask your doctor which blood tests to add.
Not automatically. Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis are commonly carried by healthy people without causing any illness, so finding them is not in itself a diagnosis. Your doctor decides whether treatment makes sense based on your symptoms, examination and the rest of the report.
Usually yes, if the organism found is one your doctor considers a true infection. A partner who goes untreated is a common reason for reinfection or an infection that seems not to clear. Your doctor will advise whether partner testing or treatment is needed for the specific result on your report.
Yes, if your symptoms or exposure involve the throat or rectum. A urine or genital sample only shows what is present at that site, so those areas need their own swabs. Mention this when you book so the right samples are taken at the same visit.
Herpes is shed in episodes rather than continuously, so a swab can miss it, especially from a lesion that is already healing. Blood antibody testing can show past exposure, and your doctor will combine both with the pattern of your symptoms.
Blood tests rely on antibodies, which take time to appear. A sore present early in the illness may contain the bacterium before serology becomes reactive, so testing the lesion directly can answer the question sooner.
Not necessarily. Gardnerella is part of the normal vaginal flora for many women. Bacterial vaginosis is about the overall balance of organisms and how you feel, not about this single result, and your doctor will interpret it in that context.
It is broader, which is not the same as better. It is the right choice when ulcers, lesions or persistent unexplained symptoms are the issue; for a straightforward check, the smaller panel usually answers the question with fewer incidental findings to interpret.
No. If you have a sore, blister or ulcer, try to be seen while it is still present and do not apply antiviral or antibiotic cream to it beforehand, because the lesion itself gives the best sample. If urine is used, collect the first part of the stream after not passing urine for around an hour.
The 14-pathogen STI PCR panel test is AED 499, including a physician-reviewed report, with results usually within 2 to 3 days. Collection at home anywhere in Dubai, or at our lab, is free with this test, because it reaches the AED 300 threshold on its own.