An essential tool for infectious disease surveillance is to have a timely and cost-effective testing method. For this purpose, laboratories frequently use specimen pooling to assay high volumes of clinical specimens. The simplest pooling algorithm employs a two-stage process. In the first stage, a set number of specimens are amalgamated to form a group that is tested as if it were one specimen. If this group tests negatively, all individuals within the group are declared disease free. If this group tests positively, a second stage is implemented with retests performed on each individual.

Chlamydia, a sexually transmitted infection which can lead to adverse reproductive health outcomes if untreated, is the most commonly reported nationally notifable disease in the United States.[1] Complete and valid demographic, geographic, and diagnosis-related data are needed to identify trends, describe populations most impacted by disease, identify inequities, and inform and evaluate prevention activities.

Objective