Evaluation of Mycoplasma Hominis Transfer by Different Swabs to SIGMA-VCM™ Transport Medium

Evaluation of foam- and flocked-swab performance for transfer of Mycoplasma hominis into SIGMA-VCM™ transport medium assessed bacterial recovery under controlled droplet volume, concentration, and handling conditions. Comparative testing showed no statistically significant difference in mean bacterial transfer between Σ-Swab® (30.79 ± 6.15%) and Purflock® (18.14 ± 2.21%), although both performed significantly better than Copan rayon dry-tip and Cobas PCR swabs (p ≤ 0.01 to p ≤ 0.001). Reduced droplet volume (50 μL versus 500 μL) improved transfer efficiency for Purflock® and Σ-Swab®, while no additional effect was observed for rayon swabs due to consistently low recovery. Mechanical agitation (vortexing) and a 30-minute delay prior to processing did not significantly alter bacterial release for any swab type. Overall, foam and flocked swabs demonstrated improved transfer efficiency compared with conventional rayon-based devices, with performance influenced primarily by initial sample volume rather than post-collection handling conditions.