Prevalence and site-pathogen studies of Neisseria meningitidis and N gonorrhoeae in homosexual men

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Abstract
Prevalence and site-pathogen studies of pathogenicNeisseriawere conducted in 815 homosexual men over a 12-month period.Neisseria meningitidiswas isolated from more patients thanN gonorrhoeae(43.1% vs 33.1%). A high oropharyngeal carriage ofN meningitidis(42.5%) was present, with much lower urethral (0.7%) and rectal (2.0%) colonization. AlthoughN meningitidisurethral isolates were associated with urethral discharge in five of six patients,N meningitidisin the oropharynx or rectum was not usually associated with clinical illness.Neisseria meningitidiswas usually isolated from only one site in individual patients.Neisseria gonorrhoeaewas isolated from the urethra (18.5%), rectum (16.3%), and oropharynx (5.6%). Of the 270 patients with gonococcal infection, 49.1% had urethral gonorrhea only, and 20.7% were infected at two or more body sites. Virtually all patients with urethral infection had symptoms of urethritis, whereas 89.1% of patients with oropharyngeal infection and 61.9% of patients with anorectal infection had no local symptoms. (JAMA244:2060-2064, 1980)