Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Turkey among men with urethritis

Background. Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are known to ca use urethritis. However, only a small number of studies in Eastern European countries have investigated the causes of urethritis. Goals: To determine the prevalence of C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae among men with symptomatic urethritis in Istanbul, Turkey, and to determine whet her contact with a commercial sex worker increased the likelihood of chlamy dial infections. Study Design: Men with a diagnosis of urethritis at the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine were screened for C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae by Abbott's lig ase chain reaction (LCR) using either urethral swabs or first-void urine. N gonorrhoeae cultures were done on a subset of these patients. Results: The study enrolled 813 men. All of the men denied condom use durin g their previous sexual exposures. The overall prevalence of C trachomatis, as determined by LCR, was 15.7%. Only 192 patients were screened for both organisms. N gonorrhoeae prevalence was 9.4%. There was no difference in th e chlamydia prevalence between men who had contact with commercial sex work ers (CSWs) and men who had no such contact (15.3% versus 17.2%). However, c lients of foreign CSWs were more likely to have chlamydia than clients of r egistered Turkish CSWs. Conclusions: C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae are commonly found in Turkish men with urethritis. The findings did not show more chlamydial infection am ong men who had contact with CSWs than among men who had no such contact. T he failure to use condoms among these men must be addressed.