Malahayati International Journal of Nursing and Health Science
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2026): Volume 9 Number 2

Effectiveness of gram staining and 10% KOH in detecting STIs from anal swabs of sexual assault victims

Nainggolan, Renatha N.H. (Unknown)
Sembiring, Budi Darmanta (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
06 May 2026

Abstract

Background: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) significantly impact global reproductive health. Sodomy, defined as anal intercourse often involving coercion, poses a high risk for STI transmission. Purpose: To analyze the effectiveness of Gram staining and 10% KOH examinations in detecting pathogens from anal swabs of sexual assault victims. Method: This analytical observational study used a retrospective cross-sectional design. Medical record data from 33 sodomy victims at Dr. Pirngadi Regional Hospital, Medan (2022–2024), were analyzed using total sampling. The reporting of this section adheres to the STROBE. Results: Most victims were male (57.58%), with the 11–20 year age group being most prevalent (69.70%). Gram staining identified Gram-negative diplococci in 17 individuals (51.52%), while 10% KOH detected yeast in 4 individuals (12.12%). McNemar’s analysis yielded a p-value 0.0016 indicates that Gram staining is more effective for STI detection in this context than 10% KOH. Conclusion: Gram staining is a more reliable diagnostic method for detecting STIs in anal swab samples compared to 10% KOH. The high prevalence of bacterial infections highlights the urgent need for early STI screening in sexual assault cases.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

minh

Publisher

Subject

Health Professions Nursing Public Health

Description

Malahayati International Journal of Nursing and Health Science is a peer-reviewed journal and provides a platform to publish areas of nursing and health science. The journal also seeks to advance the quality of research by publishing papers introducing or elaborating on new methods in nursing and ...