Positive STD Result: Colonization vs. Infection
Medically reviewed by our MD Laboratory Director (a role required by CLIA; the director's name is on file in the CMS CLIA database, #45D2048957, and can be verified independently) · Editorial policy
Detection ≠ infection. Some organisms on the panel live in healthy people.CLIA #45D2048957 · CAP #8722734 · Same-day results · Walk-ins welcome
For chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas and Mycoplasma genitalium, a positive means an infection that gets treated. For Gardnerella vaginalis, Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis, it is not that simple: these organisms are commonly found in people with no disease at all. Treating a colonizer is not neutral — it costs you money, exposes you to side effects and pushes antibiotic resistance forward for everyone.
Not sure what you need? Text us and we will set it up.
📱 Text (713) 832-8892 📞 Call (713) 266-0808
📱 Text (713) 832-8892 📞 Call (713) 266-0808
3707 Westcenter Dr Suite 100, Houston, TX 77042 · Walk-ins welcome
Which is which
| Organism | Positive means | Typical action |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia · gonorrhea · trichomonas | Infection | Treat, per CDC |
| Mycoplasma genitalium | Infection when symptomatic | Treat; resistance is a live issue |
| Gardnerella vaginalis | Often normal flora; relevant in the context of bacterial vaginosis | Treat BV if the clinical picture fits — not the PCR line alone |
| Ureaplasma urealyticum / parvum | Frequently colonization | Usually no treatment without symptoms |
| Mycoplasma hominis | Frequently colonization | Usually no treatment without symptoms |
A sensitive test finds things. The clinical skill is knowing which findings mean something. That judgment belongs to a physician, not to a report.
Why we tell you this instead of selling you a prescription
It would be easier commercially to treat every positive line. It would also be wrong, and it is the kind of thing that shows up in your body as a disrupted microbiome and in the population as resistant organisms. The partner-network physician will tell you when the honest answer is no treatment indicated.
Same day, start to finish. Sample by 1:00 PM → results at 4:30 PM → if treatment is clinically appropriate, a licensed physician in our partner network sees you between 4:30 and 6:00 PM, a few minutes away. That window is reserved for patients tested here, and your slot is held the moment we take your sample — the slot is held, not hunted. On your own, a same-day appointment is nearly impossible; at an urgent care, you wait in the queue. STAT: ~2 hours, sample in by 3:00 PM.
FAQ
- So why test for these organisms at all?
- Because in a symptomatic patient whose basic panel is negative, they are often the missing piece. The value is in the context, not the line item.
- My Ureaplasma is positive and I have no symptoms. Do I need antibiotics?
- Usually not. Bring the result to the physician; the default in that situation is observation, not a prescription.
- Is Gardnerella a sexually transmitted infection?
- Gardnerella is associated with bacterial vaginosis, which is not classified as an STI in the way chlamydia is. See Gardnerella and BV.
- Does a colonizer still get passed to a partner?
- Possibly, but that does not by itself make it a disease requiring treatment in either of you. This is exactly the conversation to have with the physician.
Not sure what you need? Text us and we will set it up.
📱 Text (713) 832-8892 📞 Call (713) 266-0808
📱 Text (713) 832-8892 📞 Call (713) 266-0808
3707 Westcenter Dr Suite 100, Houston, TX 77042 · Walk-ins welcome