Nongonococcal urethritis--a new paradigm. (1/440)

Urethritis in men has been categorized historically as gonococcal or nongonococcal (NGU). The major pathogens causing NGU are Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum. Trichomonas vaginalis may be involved occasionally. In up to one-half of cases, an etiologic organism may not be identified. In this review we present recent advances in the diagnosis and management of NGU and discuss how they may be applied in a variety of clinical settings, including specialized STD clinics and primary health care practices. In particular, the development of the noninvasive urine-based nucleic acid amplification tests may warrant rethinking of the traditional classification of urethritis as gonococcal urethritis or NGU. Diagnostic for Chlamydia are strongly recommended because etiologic diagnosis of chlamydial urethritis may have important public health implications, such as the need for partner referral and reporting. A single 1-g dose of azithromycin was found to be therapeutically equivalent to the tetracyclines and may offer the advantage of better compliance.  (+info)

Isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis from women attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. (2/440)

Attempts were made to isolate Chlamydia trachomatis from the cervix of 300 women attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases in Leeds. The women were divided into four groups; (1) 130 were consorts of men suffering from non-specific urethritis; (2) 66 were suffering from gonorrhoea, or were consorts of men suffering from this disease; (3) 56 were suffering from other sexually transmitted diseases; (4) 48 had no evidence of STD. The overall isolation rate of Chlamydia trachomatis was 20%. Positive results were obtained in 30%. of Group 1, in 27-3%. of Group 2, in 3-6%. of Group 3, and in 2-1%. of Group 4. No pathogenic sign or symptom of Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the cervix was detected.  (+info)

A Neisseria gonorrhoeae immunoglobulin A1 protease mutant is infectious in the human challenge model of urethral infection. (3/440)

Many mucosal pathogens, including Neisseria gonorrhoeae, produce proteases that cleave immunoglobulin A (IgA), the predominant immunoglobulin class produced at mucosal surfaces. While considerable circumstantial evidence suggests that IgA1 protease contributes to gonococcal virulence, there is no direct evidence that N. gonorrhoeae requires IgA1 protease activity to infect a human host. We constructed a N. gonorrhoeae iga mutant without introducing new antibiotic resistance markers into the final mutant strain and used human experimental infection to test the ability of the mutant to colonize the male urethra and to cause gonococcal urethritis. Four of the five male volunteers inoculated with the Iga- mutant became infected. In every respect-clinical signs and symptoms, incubation period between inoculation and infection, and the proportion of volunteers infected-the outcome of human experimental infection with FA1090iga was indistinguishable from that previously reported for a variant of parent strain FA1090 matching the mutant in expression of Opa proteins, lipooligosaccharide, and pilin. These results indicate that N. gonorrhoeae does not require IgA1 protease production to cause experimental urethritis in males.  (+info)

Effect of circumcision on incidence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and other sexually transmitted diseases: a prospective cohort study of trucking company employees in Kenya. (4/440)

To determine the effect of circumcision status on acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 and other sexually transmitted diseases, a prospective cohort study of 746 HIV-1-seronegative trucking company employees was conducted in Mombasa, Kenya. During the course of follow-up, 43 men acquired HIV-1 antibodies, yielding an annual incidence of 3.0%. The annual incidences of genital ulcers and urethritis were 4.2% and 15.5%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, after controlling for demographic and behavioral variables, uncircumcised status was an independent risk factor for HIV-1 infection (hazard rate ratio [HRR=4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9-8.3) and genital ulcer disease (HRR=2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-5.3). Circumcision status had no effect on the acquisition of urethral infections and genital warts. In this prospective cohort of trucking company employees, uncircumcised status was associated with increased risk of HIV-1 infection and genital ulcer disease, and these effects remained after controlling for potential confounders.  (+info)

Method for studying the role of indigenous cervical flora in colonisation by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. (5/440)

A method for quantitating cervical flora has been evaluated statistically and used to study the bacterial flora of the cervix in 14 women sexually exposed to men with gonococcal urethritis. A comparison was made between those women who subsequently became colonised with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and those who did not to determine whether either total microbial populations or the different species present could be related to colonisation by N. gonorrhoeae. Two control groups of healthy women, one of patients from a public clinic and the other of patients from a private practice, were studied in the same way. Normal flora isolates were tested in vitro for antagonism or synergism toward N. gonorrhoeae or both. Cervical flora was characterised in all patient groups by wide variations between individuals, both in type and numbers of organisms. No significant differences were found in total bacterial populations or in the number of species isolated from the cervix between patient groups. Populations of N. gonorrhoeae ranged from less than 10 bacteria to log104.36. Only one normal flora isolate, a strain of Streptococcus viridans isolated from a woman exposed to but not infected by N. gonorrhoeae, demonstrated inhibition of growth towards N. gonorrhoeae.  (+info)

Drug treatment of common STDs: part I. Herpes, syphilis, urethritis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. (6/440)

In 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Several treatment advances have been made since the previous guidelines were published. Part I of this two-part article describes current recommendations for the treatment of genital ulcer diseases, urethritis and cervicitis. Treatment advances include effective single-dose regimens for many sexually transmitted diseases and improved therapies for herpes infections. Two single-dose regimens, 1 g of oral azithromycin and 250 mg of intramuscular ceftriaxone, are effective for the treatment of chancroid. A three-day course of 500 mg of oral ciprofloxacin twice daily may be used to treat chancroid in patients who are not pregnant. Parenteral penicillin continues to be the drug of choice for treatment of all stages of syphilis. Three antiviral medications have been shown to provide clinical benefit in the treatment of genital herpes: acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir. Valacyclovir and famciclovir are not yet recommended for use during pregnancy. Azithromycin in a single oral 1-g dose is now a recommended regimen for the treatment of nongonococcal urethritis.  (+info)

Relevance of male accessory gland infection for subsequent fertility with special focus on prostatitis. (7/440)

Infections of the male genitourinary tract may contribute to infertility to a various extent depending on the site of inflammation. Especially in prostatitis, the exact classification of the infection contributes to its impact on changes in the ejaculate. Similarly, in urethritis, epididymitis and orchitis, only a clear clinical diagnosis allows a rational approach to altered sperm parameters. Several inflammatory and reactive alterations of sperm quality seem to be proven; nevertheless, the impact of these findings on male fertility remains in many cases unclear. Even therapeutic trials do not provide more insights into the association of male genital infections and impaired fertility, although the efficacy of antibiotic trials seems to be proven. For the future, it may be decisive to evaluate inflammatory changes in the ejaculate not only on the basis of standard but also on functional parameters, thus providing new definitions of the interactions between male urogenital tract infection and disturbances of male fertility.  (+info)

Asymptomatic urethritis and detection of HIV-1 RNA in seminal plasma. (8/440)

OBJECTIVE: To define risk factors for detection of HIV-1 RNA in semen in men attending the two largest HIV clinics in the West Midlands. METHODS: 94 HIV-1 seropositive men at any stage of infection donated matched semen and blood samples. 36 subjects (38%) were on no antiretroviral treatment, 12 (13%) were on dual therapy, and 46 (49%) were on three or more drugs. Median CD4 count was 291 cells x 10(6)/l. 87 subjects underwent a urethritis screen (Gram stained urethral smear and culture for gonococcus, and LCR for Chlamydia trachomatis on first pass urine). Quantitative cell free HIV-1 RNA was determined by commercial nucleic acid sequence based assay with a lower detection limit of 800 copies/ml for semen and 400 copies/ml for blood. Independent risk factors for seminal HIV RNA detection were defined by logistic regression. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, subjects not taking antiretrovirals were 11 times more likely to shed HIV RNA (21/36 (58%) v 6/58 (10%); p < 0.0001). Seven subjects (8%) had urethritis (including one C trachomatis infection). Urethritis was significantly associated with detection of seminal HIV RNA (adjusted OR, 80.2; p = 0.006), as was blood plasma viral load (adj OR, 19.3 per factor 10 increase; p < 0.001) and age (adj OR, 1.16 per 1 year older; p = 0.001). Antiviral treatment status, absolute CD4 and CD8 count, clinical stage, treatment centre, ethnicity, and risk factor were not independent predictors. No subject with undetectable blood viral load had detectable seminal HIV RNA. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic urethritis is independently associated with seminal HIV RNA shedding.  (+info)