Information for Healthcare Professionals - Supporting Quality Patient Care

Supporting Healthcare Excellence Through Collaborative STI Testing

s.a.m health provides asymptomatic individuals at risk for sexually transmitted infections with convenient, discreet access to regular screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia infections.

Expert Clinical Consultation Process

Following initial registration, patients receive a consultation with experienced counselors from Deutsche Aidshilfe e.V. partner checkpoints. During this consultation, we assess whether s.a.m health is appropriate for the individual and establish personalized testing intervals based on their specific risk profile.

Individuals presenting with STI symptoms are not candidates for s.a.m health testing and are immediately referred to clinical care - this screening is integral to our consultation process.

Reactive or positive results trigger immediate follow-up consultation through our partner checkpoint network, with prompt referral to appropriate medical care.

Quality-assured laboratory analysis

All laboratory analyses for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia follow identical protocols used in clinical practice, ensuring diagnostic equivalence.

HIV test (AG/AK): 

The fifth-generation HIV screening test is a combination test for detecting HIV-specific antibodies and p24 antigens from HIV-1 and HIV-2.

It is advisable to perform an HIV antigen antibody test at the earliest two weeks after sexual exposure. Six weeks after the risky contact, the result is considered sufficiently reliable (diagnostic window).

If a screening test is reactive, a confirmatory test is mandatory: either as an immunoblot (to detect various antibodies against HIV-1/2) and/or as direct virus detection using nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT, e.g., PCR). At s.a.m health, the confirmatory test is performed on the reserve sample at no additional cost to our users.

Lues (Syphilis) Test: Enzymimmunoassay (EIA)

The screening test (EIA) detects IgG and IgM antibodies against the pathogen that causes syphilis, Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum. These antibodies can be detected at the earliest two to three weeks after infection. Syphilis can usually be ruled out after ten weeks (diagnostic window).
If the screening test is reactive, an IgM immunoblot is performed to confirm or rule out the need for treatment.

If the results are reactive, the person will be referred to a doctor's office during the subsequent consultation for confirmatory testing for Treponema pallidum IgM and IgG antibodies and cardiolipin antibodies as markers of inflammatory activity. These complex tests require a venous blood sample—the capillary blood sample taken at s.a.m health is not sufficient for this purpose.

If syphilis is recorded in the medical history during the initial consultation, the screening test can be omitted. Only the IgM immunoblot test is then performed.
In cases of reactive results, users are also referred to a doctor's office during the consultation for a confirmation test to check for Treponema pallidum IgM and IgG antibodies and another test for cardiolipin antibodies. These values serve as a basis for later follow-up checks.

These treatment and follow-up checks are not the aim of the tests offered by s.a.m health, and users with a relevant medical history are referred from the consultation to a doctor's office.

Testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea: Testing using nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT)

Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is a safe and rapid method for detecting or ruling out Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoea (NG). Chlamydia trachomatis is the most widespread sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen. Double infections with gonococci (Neisseria gonorrhoea) are common. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) for CT and NG are significantly more sensitive than culture, antigen tests, and gene probe tests; in the case of NG, this is particularly true for extragenital locations.

In addition to the urethra and cervix, the pharynx and rectum are also potential sites of infection. CT and NG infections in the pharynx and rectum are asymptomatic or have few symptoms in >90% of infected individuals, but can still be transmitted. The detection of pathogens in NAAT does not depend on their vitality.

At s.a.m health, urethral diagnostics are performed on people with a penis using first-void urine and on people with a vagina using a vaginal swab. Swabs are also taken from the pharynx and rectum. In terms of sensitivity, there are no significant differences between first-void urine and urethral swabs in people with a penis. For people with a vagina and uterus, vaginal and cervical swabs are considered equivalent.

The samples from all three swab locations are pooled in the laboratory for greater cost efficiency. This means that if the result is positive, it is not possible to determine which location the positive result originated from. However, the treatment is the same for all three locations in the event of a confirmed infection.
If the NG test is positive, cultural detection should also be attempted in the doctor's office due to the possibility of resistance testing.

Accredited laboratory

MVZ Labor Krone GmbH is a medical laboratory operating nationally and internationally, based in North Rhine-Westphalia, which processes 15,000 to 20,000 human samples from all areas of medical care every day. 
The Labor Krone Group employs around 500 qualified staff in sample analysis (Labor Krone and LABCON-OWL), sample logistics (labcar-owl), and medical data management (IMEDAC). We offer comprehensive solutions for routine diagnostics in practices or clinics and for studies or research projects. In addition to efficient and quality-assured reporting, we offer specialist medical advice in the following areas: microbiology, virology and infectious disease epidemiology, environmental medicine and hygiene, internal medicine, immunology, endocrinology, neurology, human genetics, and, of course, laboratory medicine. Furthermore, the entire laboratory is accredited by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) in accordance with DIN EN ISO 15189 (medical laboratory diagnostics).

Research and development are high priorities at Labor Krone, both in the context of various collaborations and through scientific studies and work. The established study center handles all tasks that do not fall within the scope of routine laboratory work. The study center staff are trained and certified according to ICH-GCP. Furthermore, the entire laboratory is also accredited as a testing laboratory (medical laboratory diagnostics in the context of clinical studies) in accordance with DIN EN ISO 17025. In addition, the Krone Laboratory has approval for the laboratory tests required for tissue procurement in accordance with German medical law (§20b of the German Medicines Act (Arzneimittelgesetz- AMG)).
 

Supporting Healthcare System Efficiency

Our service addresses both patient needs and German healthcare system challenges. Demographic shifts toward an aging, increasingly multi-morbid population, combined with physician shortages, strain long-term healthcare delivery capacity.

s.a.m health reduces physician workload by enabling asymptomatic, health-conscious patients with risk factors to self-manage routine STI and HIV screening. Upon detection of infection, users are promptly referred to clinical care for treatment.

This allows doctors to focus more on the diagnosis of symptomatic patients and the treatment of infections detected (even earlier in the case of regular screening), while s.a.m health provides sexual health education and counseling as well as testing.

Seamless Clinical Care Transitions

All positive or reactive results receive direct telephone or in-person communication. Users receive an email requesting callback or appointment scheduling, enabling our counselors to provide immediate reassurance, competent guidance, and address concerns promptly.

We also collaborate with specialist practices and refer our users to doctors for treatment if they do not have a doctor they can contact directly.

For significant results such as HIV, our advisors facilitate specialist referrals and, when requested, provide accompaniment to initial appointments.

Do you have further questions about s.a.m health? You will find many answers in our FAQ.

Professional Inquiries: For practice integration opportunities or clinical questions about our services, contact sam@dah.aidshilfe.de