GONORRHEA, GENITAL CHLAMYDIAL INFECTION, AND NONSPECIFIC URETHRITIS IN MALE PARTNERS OF WOMEN HOSPITALIZED AND TREATED FOR ACUTE PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE

Background and Objectives: Acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is often a complication to a sexually transmitted disease (STD), the most important agents being Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomati s. However, very little is known of the genitourinary status of the ma le partners of women with acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Goa l of this Study: To determine the presence of N. gonorrhoeae and/or C. trachomatis infection or nonspecific urethritis (NSU) in regular sexu al male partners of women with acute PID. Study Design: Two hundred re gular sexual male partners to 196 women admitted to a hospital for tre atment of acute PID were referred by contact tracing to the sexually t ransmitted disease outpatient clinic for clinical and laboratory exami nation regarding N. gonorrhoeae and/or C. trachomatis infection, or NS U defined as the presence of > 5 polymorphonuclear leukocytes per high -power field (x 1,000) in > 4 fields and with negative laboratory test s for N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis. Results: The majority of the males was in the age group 20 to 29 years of age, female sexual partne rs in 15 to 24 years years of age. N. gonorrhoeae was demonstrated in 42.9% of the male partners to women with acute PID and concomitant gon orrhea. The corresponding figure for C. trachomatis was 43.7%. Nonspec ific urethritis was diagnosed in 26 (33.8%) of the male partners to 77 women were diagnosed with N. gonorrhoeae and/or C. trachomatis infect ion, and in 45 (37.8%) partners of 119 women without such an infection . In all, N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis or NSU were demonstrated in 1 1 7 (59.7%) of the 196 male partners, but only 32% of the males with N. gonorrhoeae or C. trachomatis and 8.5% of those with NSU presented subjective symptoms of urethritis. Conclusion: The findings of the stu dy stress the need for routine clinical and laboratory examination and treatment of sexual male partners to women with acute PID.