PELICAN is a research project that aims to understand how common four bacterial infections (Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Mycoplasma genitalium and bacterial vaginosis) are in people with PID, and to determine how effective our current PID treatment approach is for improving symptoms. An additional aim of our study is to identify new infectious causes of PID by analysing the vaginal microbiome (the microorganisms present in the vagina).
PELICAN is a case-control study approved by The Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee.
We are currently recruiting both cases and controls for PELICAN study.
Who we want to talk to.
We are currently recruiting both cases (individuals with symptoms) and controls (individuals without symptoms) to take part in the PELICAN study.
Cases are individuals who are attending MSHC with symptoms that are consistent with PID. If you are diagnosed with PID at MSHC, the attending clinician may talk to you about taking part in the study.
Controls are people who are assigned female at birth and have no current genital symptoms. To be eligible, controls need to meet the following criteria:
- 18 years and above
- are not pregnant
- have not had sex with someone subsequently diagnosed with an STI in the last month
- have no symptoms of PID (pelvic pain, pain with sex, abnormal bleeding, and/or abnormal vaginal discharge)
If you are interested in participating in the PELICAN study as a control, you can complete our online survey to check if you are eligible.
What's involved?
If you are presenting to MSHC with PID symptoms and identified as a “case”, your doctor will explain the study procedures in detail and will ask you to provide written consent prior to undertaking any study procedures. During or after examination, you will be asked to provide an additional vaginal swab. This swab will be used for vaginal microbiome analysis. If PID or any STI is diagnosed, you will also be provided with appropriate treatment. You will receive an SMS questionnaire after 14 days to check if your symptoms have improved.
If you are participating as a control, you will be asked to provide four vaginal swabs. These swabs can be self-collected. They will be used to test for STIs (Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Mycoplasma genitalium) and the vaginal infection, bacterial vaginosis. The fourth swab will be used for vaginal microbiome analysis. The results will be reported back to you. If you are diagnosed with any of these STIs, the study team will discuss with you about treatment, and this can be provided free of charge.
What if I have questions?
Participation in this research is voluntary and there will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions. You can call us to speak to a research nurse anytime during business hours throughout the study.