Gonococcal pelvic inflammatory disease: case-finding observations.

During a 20 month period, 110 women with gonococcal pelvic inflammatory disease an 165 women with uncomplicated gonorrhea were provided intensive case-finding services (interviewing of patients and tracing of contacts). Approximately three contacts per case were investigated, and 24.3% of the 859 male contacts were infected. Nearly two thirds (64.6%) of the infected contacts were asymptomatic. Active public health intervention was frequently necessary to persuade asymptomatic men to seek medical attention; removal of these men from the disease pool may serve to prevent reinfection of treated women and to diminish the transmission of gonorrhea.