title: Purulent rectal discharge associated with a nontreponemal spirochete.
abstract: A nontreponemal spirochete was isolated from the rectum of a homosexual man with a chronic purulent discharge. Known infectious causes of the disease were excluded. Although the pathogenicity of the organism was not proved, the patient's symptoms rapidly resolved following penicillin G benzathine therapy. When culture of a nonhemorrhagic, purulent rectal discharge fails to verify Neisseria gonorrhoeae, health care personnel are encouraged to carefully examine a Gram's-stained smear of the discharge for spiral-shaped organisms.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D012007:Rectum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases; D013144:Spirochaetales / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013145:Spirochaetales Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013492:Suppuration / Q000382:microbiology