Infections missed by urethral-only screening for chlamydia or gonorrhea detection among men who have sex with men

Sex Transm Dis. 2011 Oct;38(10):922-4. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0b013e31822a2b2e.

Abstract

In a retrospective analysis of asymptomatic men who have sex with men visiting an urban municipal sexually transmitted disease clinic, 83.8% of chlamydial and gonococcal infections would have been missed by urethral screening, compared with 9.8% by screening the rectum and pharynx. Extragenital screening is critical to the provision of comprehensive sexual health services for men who have sex with men.

MeSH terms

  • Ambulatory Care Facilities
  • Asymptomatic Diseases
  • Chlamydia / isolation & purification*
  • Chlamydia Infections / diagnosis*
  • Chlamydia Infections / epidemiology
  • Chlamydia Infections / urine
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Gonorrhea / diagnosis*
  • Gonorrhea / epidemiology
  • Gonorrhea / urine
  • Homosexuality, Male / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae / isolation & purification*
  • Pharynx / microbiology*
  • Prevalence
  • Rectum / microbiology*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • San Francisco / epidemiology
  • Sexual Behavior
  • Urethra / microbiology