title: Transmission of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae among men with urethritis and their female sex partners.
abstract: Transmission of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae among infected men and their female sex partners was examined using a design enhancing the likelihood that spread was directed from men to women. Chlamydia culture-negative specimens were examined using DNA amplification tests. Infection rates in women exposed to male sex partners with Chlamydia only were 65% (20/31) and with gonorrhea only were 73% (33/45). Infection of women by either agent was not influenced by the number of sexual exposures to or coinfection in men. There was a 98% (40/41) concordance of N. gonorrhoeae isolates among partners by auxotype and serovar. Chlamydia isolates were serotyped using ELISA and immunofluorescence testing and confirmed by nested polymerase chain reaction: 50% (6/12) of men and 57% (8/14) of women yielded mixed serovars. Sixty-four percent of pairs (9/14) were infected with identical serovars and an additional 28% shared at least one serovar. Multiple serovars of C. trachomatis, but not of N. gonorrhoeae, were common in sex partners and exchanged frequently.
authors.affiliation: The Maxwell Finland Laboratory for Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA 02118-2393, USA,
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Donegan
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Heeren
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Flaherty
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haivanis
authors.forename: X H
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Newhall
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sarafian
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Morse
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000635:transmission*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D014521:Urethra / Q000382:microbiology; D014526:Urethritis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*