Recipients

Gonorrhea and chlamydia are the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infections in Canada. In Saskatchewan, the rate of infection is higher than other provinces. If untreated, complications can be severe, so timely diagnosis and effective treatments are important. Symptoms may also frequently go undetected, and the infection is often unknowingly spread to sexual partners. Dr. Stefania Starnino is conducting research to increase our understanding of the dynamics of strain transmission to ultimately improve patient management strategies.

Dr. Starnino intends to use non-cultured samples to analyze the genetic constitution of the two pathogens that are circulating in Saskatchewan and causing gonorrhea and chlamydia infection. She, with a team of researchers, intends to study strain distribution and compare genetic results with epidemiological data as a means of identifying high-risk patients and possible treatment failures.

The information gathered by Dr. Starnino will be used to better understand, through specific strains, the biology of these infections and impact public health strategies for the control of gonorrhea and chlamydia. In the long term, she hopes to see a reduction in cases of infertility, sterility, pelvic pain and other complications of these diseases in Saskatchewan.

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