STI-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 bacterial-vaginosis organisms.
- DHA-licensed lab
- Includes Doctor Consultation
- Physician-reviewed
- Same Day Collection
48 hours
Turnaround
Urine
Sample
What the STI-28 Panel PCR test tells you
This is the broadest of our single PCR panels, covering bacterial, viral and parasitic sexually transmitted organisms in a single multiplex reaction: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, herpes simplex, Trichomonas, the Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma species and a long list of less common organisms besides. One sample, one run, one report.
Its value is completeness. It suits situations that the narrower panels do not settle: symptoms that do not fit a recognisable pattern, symptoms that keep returning after treatment, previous testing that came back clear while the problem continued, or a wish for a thorough baseline before a pregnancy attempt or fertility treatment. Covering the whole differential at once avoids the slow cycle of test, wait, test again. For the widest coverage of all, Ultimate Sexual Wellness adds the urinary-tract organisms and antibiotic-resistance genes to this panel.
Breadth has consequences worth understanding before choosing it. The more organisms a panel looks for, the more often it finds something that lives in the genital tract without causing any illness: Ureaplasma species, Mycoplasma hominis and Gardnerella vaginalis are the usual examples. A long report is not a long list of problems, and detecting an organism is not proof that it is causing your symptoms. Which findings need treatment and which can simply be noted is a decision for your doctor, made from your symptoms, the examination and, where relevant, a partner's results. Where treatment is needed, recent partners are usually tested and treated at the same time, as ordinary practice.
28 results from one sample
Each organism is reported on its own line as Detected or Not detected, by multiplex real-time PCR, so your report names what was found.
- Sample: Urine
- No fasting needed
- Results within 48 hours
Sexually transmitted infections
7 resultsThe classic sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis.
- Chlamydia trachomatisCT
- Neisseria gonorrhoeaeNG
- Trichomonas vaginalisTV
- Mycoplasma genitaliumMG
- Treponema pallidumTP
- Haemophilus ducreyiHD
- Lymphogranuloma venereumLGV
Viruses
4 resultsHerpes simplex types 1 and 2, cytomegalovirus and varicella zoster.
- Herpes simplex virus type 1HSV-1
- Herpes simplex virus type 2HSV-2
- CytomegalovirusCMV
- Varicella zoster virusVZV
Genital mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas
3 resultsOften carried without illness; your doctor decides whether a result matters.
- Mycoplasma hominisMH
- Ureaplasma urealyticumUU
- Ureaplasma parvumUP
Candida species
7 resultsThe yeasts behind thrush, reported by species.
- Candida albicansCA
- Candida tropicalisCTP
- Candida kruseiCKR
- Candida glabrataCG
- Candida parapsilosisCP
- Candida lusitaniaeCL
- Candida dubliniensisCD
Genital flora and bacterial vaginosis
7 resultsThe bacteria behind bacterial vaginosis, and Lactobacillus, which keeps the vaginal environment healthy.
- Gardnerella vaginalisGV
- Bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria 2BVAB-2
- Lactobacillus spp.LBS
- Mobiluncus spp.MBS
- Megasphaera type 1MP-1
- Atopobium vaginaeAV
- Bacteroides fragilisBF
Names match your lab report, where each result appears beside its reference range or is marked Detected or Not detected.
Broad sexual health screening for people who want wide coverage, especially when symptoms are atypical or a thorough baseline is wanted.
- Wide single-sample coverage
It examines one specimen for a very wide range of organisms, which suits a picture that narrower testing has not explained.
- Resolves unclear symptoms
When symptoms persist or recur after clear results from a smaller panel, the extra coverage often identifies what was missed.
- Thorough baseline assessment
Some people want a complete picture before a pregnancy attempt or fertility treatment, and this covers that in one step.
- Avoids sequential testing
Testing everything at once removes the delay of working through possibilities one panel at a time.
Reasons your doctor may request the STI-28 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.
Symptoms narrower panels have not explained
- Persistent genital symptoms that narrower panels have not explained.
- Symptoms that keep returning after treatment appeared to work.
- A situation where the likely cause is genuinely hard to narrow down in advance.
Before pregnancy or fertility treatment
- A thorough baseline before a pregnancy attempt or fertility treatment.
A partner with a confirmed infection
- A partner with a confirmed infection where the exact organism is not yet known.
Not Detected means none of the twenty-eight pathogens on the panel were found. Detected means genetic material from one or more was present, and the report names which. Wider coverage brings more incidental findings. Normal flora such as Ureaplasma species, Mycoplasma hominis and Gardnerella vaginalis can appear without causing illness, so more organisms detected does not mean more infections to treat. PCR cannot distinguish a living organism from genetic material left behind after treatment, and a positive may reflect reinfection from an untreated partner. Co-infection is common and can explain symptoms a single finding did not. The result reflects only the site sampled, so throat and rectal infections need their own swabs; HIV, hepatitis and syphilis blood testing stay separate. Your doctor decides what is significant, reading it with your symptoms, exposures 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 28 organisms found in the sample; throat and rectal sites need their own swabs.
One or more of the 28 organisms found (named in your report); your doctor decides what needs treating.
Ranges are a guide: your physician interprets your result alongside your symptoms and history.
What a higher result can point to
- Active infection with one or more of the pathogens the panel covers.
- Normal genital flora such as Ureaplasma species, Mycoplasma hominis or Gardnerella vaginalis appearing on the report without causing illness.
- Co-infection with more than one organism, which is common and can explain symptoms a single diagnosis did not.
- Reinfection from a partner who was not treated at the same time.
- Residual genetic material from an organism cleared by recent treatment.
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
- Wider coverage means more incidental detections of organisms that are not causing illness, and these should not be treated automatically.
- PCR cannot distinguish a living organism from genetic material left behind shortly after treatment.
- The result reflects the site sampled: throat and rectal infections need their own swabs.
- Blood-borne infections such as HIV and viral hepatitis are not covered and require separate blood testing.
Collecting your sample safely
- No needle is involved: you pass urine into a sterile container, so there is no physical risk.
- Wash your hands before and after, and don't touch the inside of the container or lid, so the sample stays clean.
- Close the lid firmly and keep the sample cool until it is collected, since a sample left warm can give a misleading result.
- 128 organisms checked at once by PCR, from a single sample.
- 2Best suited to unclear, persistent or complex situations rather than a routine check.
- 3More organisms detected does not mean more infections to treat: your doctor decides what is significant.
- 4The report is a starting point for interpretation, not a treatment plan in itself.
- 5HIV, syphilis blood testing and hepatitis still need separate blood samples alongside it.
STI-28 Panel PCR also comes in these focused packages, which pair it with the tests usually read alongside it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the STI-28 Panel PCR test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→It screens for 28 organisms from a single sample using multiplex PCR, so several possible causes are checked at once. That matters because co-infection is common and can explain symptoms a single finding did not. It is best suited to unclear, persistent or complex situations. It detects syphilis (Treponema pallidum) by PCR, but it does not include the blood tests for HIV, hepatitis or syphilis.
Detected means genetic material from one or more of the panel's pathogens was found, and your report names which. It may reflect an active infection, normal genital flora, reinfection from a partner who was not treated, or material left behind after recent treatment. Your doctor decides which findings are significant using your symptoms, exposures and examination.
Ureaplasma species, Mycoplasma hominis and Gardnerella vaginalis are often part of normal genital flora and can appear without causing any illness. Wider panels detect them more often, so finding them is not automatically a reason for treatment. Your doctor considers whether your symptoms fit before deciding they need treating.
Often, yes. A positive result can reflect reinfection from a partner who was not treated at the same time, so the infection can pass back and forth unless both are dealt with. Your doctor will advise whether your partner should be tested or treated, depending on which organism was found.
Yes, in both directions. A recent antibiotic or antiviral course can suppress an organism enough to hide it, giving a falsely reassuring result. On the other hand, PCR cannot tell a living organism from genetic material left behind shortly after treatment, so a positive soon after treatment may not mean it failed. Tell the team about any recent course.
No. Breadth is useful when the picture is unclear or symptoms have persisted despite earlier testing. For a straightforward check, a narrower panel usually answers the question with fewer incidental findings that then need explaining.
Not usually. A wide panel commonly detects organisms that live in the genital tract without causing any problem. Your doctor will separate the ones that need treating from the ones that are simply present, using your symptoms and examination.
It means none of the covered organisms was found at the site sampled. HIV, syphilis blood testing and viral hepatitis are not part of this panel and need blood tests, and infections at other sites need their own samples.
An organism needs time to multiply before PCR can find it, so testing immediately afterwards can give a falsely reassuring result. Your doctor will advise when to test and whether to repeat it.
No fasting is needed. For a urine sample, collect the first part of the stream and try not to pass urine for around an hour beforehand.
The STI-28 panel test is AED 999, including a physician-reviewed report, with results usually within 48 hours. 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.