title: Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening in San Francisco high schools.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous school-based studies in cities with a high prevalence of chlamydia found a substantial prevalence of chlamydial infection among students.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The goal was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of chlamydia and gonorrhea screening in San Francisco high schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sexually transmitted disease (STD) education and screening were conducted at four high schools. Students provided basic demographic information and urine specimens for chlamydia and gonorrhea ligase chain reaction testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 283 asymptomatic females screened, 3.9% had chlamydia and 0.7% had gonorrhea. The prevalence of chlamydia was 1.5% among females <16 years of age and 4.6% among females >or=16 years of age. Only 0.8% of asymptomatic males (3/381) had chlamydia, and none had gonorrhea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  STD screening was both feasible and acceptable in San Francisco high schools. STD screening in high schools should be prioritized as follows: (1) chlamydia screening over gonorrhea screening, (2) female screening over male screening, and (3) screening of older students (juniors and seniors) over screening of younger students.
authors.affiliation: STD Prevention and Control Services, Department of Public Health, San Francisco, California 94103, USA. Charlotte_Kent@dph.sf.ca.us
authors.forename: Charlotte K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Branzuela
authors.forename: Lyn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Trish
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bascom
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Klausner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002689:Chlamydia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D022521:Ligase Chain Reaction; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D012572:School Health Services; D012574:Schools; D015231:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine