The Impacts of STI Testing Innovation: Elitza Theel, Ph.D.

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, for a conversation about innovation in testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI). Topics include: 

• The advantages and challenges of new types of specimen collection and testing methods, including over-the-counter, at-home, and point-of-care options. 
• Implications home testing has for clinicians and public health. 
• Barriers to making more at-home collection and over-the-counter testing products for STI testing.
• The growing need for tests to detect resistance markers as antimicrobial resistance increases.